During a recent self-catering getaway to the Lake District, we found ourselves reflecting on our North York Moors home, appreciating its beauty and the value of local hospitality.
We both grew up in the Northwest of England, and as kids, many family holidays were in the Lake District. This was years before we met each other at Leeds University in 1980.
So, the Lake District has lots of childhood memories for us, despite it being somewhere we’ve not visited for quite some time. Last week we had a few days away to revisit a few places and recharge our batteries. Self-catering obviously. It was a chance to see how someone else ran their holiday cottage and looked after their guests. More of that later..
The Lakes are just as beautiful as we remembered them. Spectacular scenery, with glacial ribbon lakes and rugged fells. We sailed on ferries, biked through woods and drank in the scenery. And as you do, we compared it to our own national park, the North York Moors.
We appreciate we are biased after living here for over 11 years. But we felt that our own lovely North York Moors has just as much if not more to offer. We do think that the Lakes are far more “in your face” beautiful. But we think the North York Moors unfolds its beauty more slowly and subtly. It’s more about big skies and big views. Along with an amazing variety of countryside from farmland to dales to moorland to spectacular coastline and beaches.
We were struck by just how busy the Lakes are now. It made us appreciate how spoilt we are to have walks around us where you rarely see another person. Where you really can drink in the peace and quiet of nature all around you.
We felt very lucky that many of the small villages and towns near us still have their own character and sense of place. We appreciate that just like the Lakes, there are some who’ve lost their identity to a focus purely on visitors.
But we also felt that there are many more around us that still have local businesses for locals and visitors alike. We really struggled to buy local in the Lakes, in comparison to here where we have great small towns like Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Pickering and Malton. These places are great to visit for both locals and visitors. They still have a local butchers, greengrocer and other shops. Along with plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Being away in an area that we didn’t know so well made us realise how much you rely on recommendations from your hosts. And how an inside tip from a local can make a real difference to a day out or to where you go for a coffee. We were sent a helpful digital guide ahead of our stay. But it was very generic and didn’t give us any sense of what our hosts recommended. So, we only discovered by chance a place locally to do our food shopping, and a good spot for a coffee.
We understand that for some guests, finding out for themselves great places to go is part of their holiday enjoyment. But we also want to have plenty of up-to-date information in our guide so that we can make suggestions based on our own local knowledge. It’s a tough job, but we must keep visiting local cafes, pubs and restaurants. What a chore.
Our Lake District experience highlighted the importance of local knowledge and the value of local hospitality, something we’ve always treasured in the North York Moors.
And what did we learn from our holiday cottage? Well, we arrived to find no welcome hamper, no fresh milk and just a couple of tea bags. We weren’t blown away by the generosity of our welcome. But we did like the extra throws available to sit outside with. Alongside a book for identifying birds seen in the garden. And we thought the slow cooker was great to have for a hot casserole when you’ve arrived home from a day out walking.
So look out for a few more additions to the Long Barn.
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