My Coast to Coast, Day 1, St Bees to Ennerdale

Daily Top Ten….

• Packing, unpacking, repacking, starting over again….
• Breakfast bacon butties and fresh pork pies for lunch, courtesy of our fabulous support team Joe Halsall
• Gorgeous sunshine along the stunning coast at St Bees
• Lucy Lockholme the lamb loving the lighthouse!!
• Clearly seeing The Isle of Man and Dumfries and Galloway!
• Seeing Dent from a distance and dreading the climb!
• Hearing all about Wainwright Passage at Cleator from Mike Frazer
• Dent is done!! 352m but so steep up and even steeper down!!
• The gorgeous herdy’s!!
• Arriving at the Shepherd’s Arms in Ennerdale Bridge, lovely room, great meal, smiling and still in one piece!!

Visit Eden  The Lake District, Cumbria  Lake District travel guide  The Coast to Coast Packhorse

My own Coast to Coast Adventure!  18th September 2022

GOING THE EXTRA MILE….. OR RATHER 192 MILES!!!!

Five years into our Bed and Breakfast adventure, I decided it was time! Going the extra mile… or rather 192 miles!

Here we go…. a personal insight to my own experience on this incredible trail, the famous Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast!

Well … it’s been a long time coming!!! I decided that after listening to my guests’ amazing experiences on this epic trail, i had to take the plunge and literally get into their shoes! I was going the extra mile…. or rather 192 extra miles!!!!

So, I’m off to St Bees today to start my epic Coast to Coast adventure with two wonderful friends and fortunately very very experienced walkers!!! #maps #navigation #theperfectplacetobe #adventureawaits #bucketlist Joe is holding the fort at Lockholme and being our #support team!!! Look out for #lucylockholme Lucy the Lamb , who’s coming with us along with Ruby the dog!!! Visit Eden     The Lake District,       CumbriaLake District travel guide

Keswick Boot Co     OnlyWillow Huge thanks to The Coast to Coast Packhorse for looking after us!!! Wehoo!!!

Gold Award Winner

We are very proud to announce that our delicious marmalade has won a Gold Award at the The World’s Original Marmalade Awards 2021. They were held at Dalemain Mansion and Historic Gardens near Penrith.

The World Marmalade Awards received a record number of entries this year, over 3000 from over 30 countries. We are thrilled to bits to have won Gold against such strong competition! We entered the the Hotel, Restaurant and B&B category. It was judged by an expert panel including food writers and Fortnum and Mason grocery buyers!

You can taste it when you stay with us or call us now 07808 166380 to buy a jar!!

The Lockholme Bed and Breakfast Story

So, after nearly three years of experiencing a completely new lifestyle in the countryside running our lovely Bed and Breakfast, “Lockholme” in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, I thought I would embrace another challenge and start my blog! What better way to keep our guests and visitors up to date with all things happening here!

Just in case you don’t already know, here is a little snapshot into how myself, Chrissie, and hubby Joe, have got to where we are now…

It was time for a new challenge…

Once our children had grown up and spread their wings to find their own life adventures,  the question we asked ourselves was “What next?” How could we get from a life on the road and in the air, to blissful country living? We felt we were too young to just settle for slippers and the odd day trip out, but a little too old to start something new and exciting…. Or were we?

Running a Bed and Breakfast had always been a bit of a dream, we had a love of the countryside and sharing our home with friends and family. Put that with enjoying meeting people and wanting something a little different to fill the next stage of our life, and our plan was hatched!

A new life in Cumbria

So, after about 5 years of constant research and looking, we found Lockholme! The most beautiful Victorian home, full of stories of its own and just needing a little bit of passion, vision and hard work to bring it back to life! With a bit of tender loving care, we restored this beautiful Victorian building. Since January 2016, we have roller coaster-ed on the steep learning curve of a new business! Applying gallons of paint (thankyou Joe x), ripping fingernails with sandpaper, we have renovated practically everything in sight, and are now up and running!

Our work backgrounds have been invaluable. As my Dad said on our wedding day ‘both are in the transport industry… on the roads and in the sky’! HGV driving and Bus driving for Joe and British Airways Cabin Crew for me! After having our two children, I have been a childminder, while running my own Interior Design and Soft Furnishings business. I then worked in a lovely primary school for fourteen years as a Teaching Assistant and then a Higher Level Teaching Assistant.

We love our new life here and love looking after our guests! We welcome you to Lockholme, with gorgeous rooms, fabulous en-suites, and lots of thoughtful extras to make your stay memorable. Discover more about all the goings on at our lovely friendly Bed and Breakfast www.lockholme.co.uk  set in the heart of the Upper Eden Valley, close to the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the North Pennines AONB.

So that is a little peak into our journey so far! But so much more is ahead of us, including perfecting my blogging skills! Look out for our next blog post  ‘Exciting Times ahead at Lockholme’.

We’re also on facebook Instagram and Twitter

That’s all for now! Chrissie