Saturday 4 July – re-opening

The first guests are here! It is lovely to see them again. After all the uncertainty, changes, endless lists and preparations the day when we can welcome visitors back has finally arrived. And it’s raining!

It has been a busy few weeks getting ready for re-opening; risk assessments, more specialised cleaning equipment, PPE, reorganising the cottages and the way we work to give guests confidence in their accommodation. In addition I have applied for and received both Visit England and AA Covid 19 accreditation and my son Paul has been busy adding a Covid information page to my website which will soon be up and running – thank you Paul.

The glorious weather we had for most of Lockdown finally came to an end last weekend. There had been a few hints, one morning I got up to see the lake covered in mist and at times it became a bit a bit hazy and cloudy.

I should have known however that the weekend my daughter Clare and her family came the weather would really change. It was the first time I had seen any of my family since mid January but we were not to be put off by the weather.

The girls fished in the lake, visited Postman Pat and even had a very wet game of Pooh Sticks at Buttermere.

After they left 8“ rain fell on Honister and poured straight down the fells into the lakes. The week before we had been looking at stone stacks and walking along the beach to the pump house. Now the stone that I use as a marker for the water level which had been several feet up on the shore was now completely submerged in the lake.

And it was impossible to get along the path to the first bridge by the weir.

Enough of the weather, in one of my earlier blogs I mentioned a small nature reserve just beyond Rogerscale. The information on the gate had said that in June you could see the greater butterfly orchid. So last week I cycled over, there they were, right in the middle of the field, difficult for me to photograph but it was very satisfying to find them.

Welcome back!

Joan