 | I’ve travelled a little, seen a few places around the world. I’ve heard about Bali Belly and other ailments possible from travelling. I do the right thing in exotic places and only drink bottled water, never take ice in drinks, I brush teeth with bottled water. I am an in-tune traveller. I have only been sick travelling twice. Once was in Israel in 1980 and the second time was at a conference in Wollongong in about 2002. I have done OK. OK… so now it is 3 times. I think this is the Lakes Lurgy. |
When you plan a trip you can’t allow contingency time. You can’t plan for the day a storm closes the mountain you came to see. I was lucky last year to catch the Jungfrau on a perfect day just before it was closed for 3 days. Similarly I had only one day for the Lakes district. Silly you may think. For a British holidayer the Lakes is the perfect place to spend a week or two and soak up the countryside. It is beautiful.
We drove up to the lakes from Runcorn via Blackpool, another place for the British public to spend a week’s holiday. We gave it an hour.
Cold, wet and it has a tower.
Unkind of us perhaps but it was to recall a passing comment from our mother’s life. Then on to the Lakes. Winding, twisty roads with trees on either side waiting for a Lake to break up the vista.
The lakes are breathtaking, almost as breathtaking as the cold. The cold really takes your breath away. We had packed for an Australian winter to cover this North-of-England spring but boy it has been cold. The car occasionally tells us the outside temperature in double figures, but rarely.
Ambleside is the place we had chosen to stay. It is a delightful little town at the top of Windermere. (Windy Lake) It reminded me so much of Zermatt in Switzerland. But Zermatt has banned all cars. Not a bad idea for Ambleside I think. The roads are narrow and the back lanes to get to the hotel car parking - wow. Makes you wonder why car rental companies want to upgrade you to some huge station wagon to drive the country lanes of England. Well, I guess if you never intend to drive through the places we came to visit it may work.
It is a cute little town and we enjoyed a walk around and out to the falls. It stays light till late here. 1030 at night and it is still light. And sun rise is at 4.30am in early spring. We could choose to eat late and enjoy all of the daylight we wanted for exploration but time differences keep calling and we need to sleep early. So an early tea would have to do.
I do not remember much of the next 24 hours and certainly don’t need to share the details except to say that it had both of us in its grip. It means that our trip on Windermere was not quite as we had expected. We saw the lake through exhausted, travel sickened, Lakes Lurgied eyes.
We visited this lake because we remember a family trip here over 50 years ago. It rained that day. So I can now confident affirm that, as a result of our research, on 100% of the occasions in the sample - It always rains on Windermere. I have a way with statistics, I know.
Interesting factoid I just discovered: Lurgy is an invented word with no etymological history. It is attributed to the Goon Show and invented by them in the late 40s or early 50s. What a wonderful fact! Perhaps then I should rename the affliction to a similar Australianism. We suffered from the Windermere Wog.
We drove up to the lakes from Runcorn via Blackpool, another place for the British public to spend a week’s holiday. We gave it an hour.
Cold, wet and it has a tower.
Unkind of us perhaps but it was to recall a passing comment from our mother’s life. Then on to the Lakes. Winding, twisty roads with trees on either side waiting for a Lake to break up the vista.
The lakes are breathtaking, almost as breathtaking as the cold. The cold really takes your breath away. We had packed for an Australian winter to cover this North-of-England spring but boy it has been cold. The car occasionally tells us the outside temperature in double figures, but rarely.
Ambleside is the place we had chosen to stay. It is a delightful little town at the top of Windermere. (Windy Lake) It reminded me so much of Zermatt in Switzerland. But Zermatt has banned all cars. Not a bad idea for Ambleside I think. The roads are narrow and the back lanes to get to the hotel car parking - wow. Makes you wonder why car rental companies want to upgrade you to some huge station wagon to drive the country lanes of England. Well, I guess if you never intend to drive through the places we came to visit it may work.
It is a cute little town and we enjoyed a walk around and out to the falls. It stays light till late here. 1030 at night and it is still light. And sun rise is at 4.30am in early spring. We could choose to eat late and enjoy all of the daylight we wanted for exploration but time differences keep calling and we need to sleep early. So an early tea would have to do.
I do not remember much of the next 24 hours and certainly don’t need to share the details except to say that it had both of us in its grip. It means that our trip on Windermere was not quite as we had expected. We saw the lake through exhausted, travel sickened, Lakes Lurgied eyes.
We visited this lake because we remember a family trip here over 50 years ago. It rained that day. So I can now confident affirm that, as a result of our research, on 100% of the occasions in the sample - It always rains on Windermere. I have a way with statistics, I know.
Interesting factoid I just discovered: Lurgy is an invented word with no etymological history. It is attributed to the Goon Show and invented by them in the late 40s or early 50s. What a wonderful fact! Perhaps then I should rename the affliction to a similar Australianism. We suffered from the Windermere Wog.
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