A Poacher’s Story With Lake District Logic!

“He may have been stealing from the rich but he probably needed it,” said Mrs H after a few minutes of pondered thought.

We were staying at The Brackenrigg Inn at Pooley Bridge where one of the county’s infamous nineteenth century poachers had just won a new ally, albeit from The Philippines!

My wife had been reading the wallpaper! Not a usual pastime for her, however, in a corner of room 103 there was an L-shaped window seat and the two walls either side of it, had been skilfully decorated using the A5 pages from a small Victorian information guide. It created an intrigue that few could ignore!

According to our walls, John Denwood was imprisoned for poaching on several occasions but still found time to write dialect verse.

However, according to his son, Mr J. M. Denwood, he was a Christian and a good man, merely a victim of poverty and circumstance, forcing him to steal from the rich and risk everything so that he could feed his family.

But, his life lives on in this newly refurbished inn, which is a sister property to Another Place The Lake, a stunning, contemporary hotel just a 5-minute walk down the road in the direction of Pooley Bridge.

We had been invited to sample the inn’s hospitality and, when we arrived, were pleasantly surprised to find people actually engaged in conversation – a rarity in pubs where tv screens, gaming machines and mobile phones have become the new de rigueur!

There were even boardgames.

“Ooh, can we play Scrabble?” said Mrs H.

“We can but we need to agree guidelines. You learnt American English in Manila so we can’t have color, diapers or the trunk: it’s colour, nappies and the boot!” The parameters were established. An hour later I had lost!
The pub, apart from being in a beautiful location with stunning views across Ullswater and beyond, dishes up high-quality local food with Cumbrian flavours, meaning the menu is varied periodically depending on seasonal availability.

There are ‘real’ fires ready to roar in anticipation of winter, and contemporary en-suite rooms…

…invite families, hiking boots and even dogs, to take a well-earned rest after a day on the fells: You can opt for a single, double or a two-bed family room with suite.
“You can’t go for a swim; you’ve forgotten your trunks…..or should that be ‘bathers’?” taunted Pooley Bridge’s new Scrabble champion!

“Well, it’s not going to make much difference because I am certainly not going in Ullswater without a wet suit,” went the riposte.

Wrong again!

Overnight guests at The Brackenrigg Inn also have access to everything at Another Place including Swim Club’s fell-view swimming pool and outdoor hot tub, Kids’ Zone, library, three restaurants, and lake sports sessions and paddleboard hire.

“Let’s have our continental breakfast at The Brackenrigg then, on the morning of day two we’ll stroll down to Another Place for a Cumbrian breakfast. That would make sense because you’ve had a paddleboard lesson booked.

"Don’t worry, you can wear a pair of underpants if you’ve got no trunks. There’s a wet suit included so you’ll be fine!” My fate had already been decided.

Continental breakfast at The Brackenrigg was simple but tasty and, on day two, as planned, we ‘went hot’ with a full Cumbrian breakfast in Another Place The Lake’s Rampsbeck restaurant ahead of my paddleboard lesson, booked through the hotel but operated from the Sheep Shed down by the lakeside.

Squeezed into my wet suit our paddleboard trainer advised that we would make our way across the lake and back, which would take care of our 90-minute session, but first he needed to give us a few lessons on technique.

There were three of us and laughs abounded as we tried, and failed, to stay on our respective boards. Great fun: far better than I had anticipated!

Back at shore, with fresh underpants provided by Mrs H, I dried and we were soon ready for the quick dash to Pooley Bridge Pier where we caught the Ullswater Steamer, first to Glenridding…

….then Aira Force for the walk up to the famous waterfall.

“Don’t forget, we need to be back by 7pm,” said Mrs H “because we have evening dinner booked at the Rampsbeck so don’t lose track of time!” she warned.

The Ullswater Steamer was a joy, taking the best part of 75 minutes to take us from Pooley Bridge Pier to Glendinning. Boats have been plying their trade since 1859 when the paddle steamer, Enterprise, first took to the water on August 13th as a ‘working’ and passenger boat.

Glenridding proved itself to be the prettiest of villages, even though I baulked at £3.95 for a coffee in a local eatery, eventually opting for a £2.40 special from the corner shop!

After a short walk, we were back on the boat to Aira Force and the walk through Gowbarrow Park up to the majestic waterfall.

“I won’t make it much further,” said Mrs H, after a steep climb, “so I’m going to take the 508 bus back to the Brackenrigg,” she said. “You?”

“I’m going to brave the Ullswater Way and the 7-mile lakeside walk back,” I replied. “It’s such a glorious day and it would be a shame not to,” I said.

Thank Heavens I did! It was glorious.

Alfred Wainwright would have pointed out so many things had he been around, including how to avoid the fly bites: I managed to acquire five en route: White, pink flesh is very desirable in these parts, apparently!

Home by 6.30pm there was just enough time to shower, change and walk down to Another Place The Lake for dinner in The Ramsbeck where we enjoyed nosh of the finest variety!

Food at The Brackenrigg was bang on – high-end pub food at its best - but The Ramsbeck offering came with sophistication and the need to wear long trousers and lipstick: I just opted for the trousers!

Next morning we were on our way, but not before a quick visit to the Rheged Discovery Centre at the top of the M6.

Owned and operated by the family behind the amazing Tebay Services (you will either know what I mean, or you won’t!), Rheged is a gallery, café, cinema, shopping venue, workplace and creative space on the edge of the Northern Lakes.

A place where friends, family and colleagues can share a meal, watch a film, hold a meeting, see an exhibition, buy a gift or catch up over coffee.

It’s beautiful and we were even able to meet award-winning Jackie Morris, who was doing a signing on the day of our visit.

The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Brackenrigg

Now that The Brackenrigg has reopened, the longer-term plan is to re-establish the pub’s microbrewery and tap room in the converted stable block.

There are also plans to evolve six acres of meadows into kitchen gardens, orchards, an events meadow for feast nights and summer dining under the stars, along with all sorts of other bits and bats.

For now, it’s a cracking place for an overnight stay, great food and a game of Scrabble, even if you are going to get trounced by the Mrs!

Cheers!

Fast Facts
Another Place / The Brackenrigg Inn: here
Ullswater Steamers: www. https://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk
Stagecoach 508 timetable: here
Rheged Discover Centre: www. rheged.com
Cumbria Tourism: www.visitlakedistrict.com