Day 143
26/09/09 11:03 Filed in: Diary
Boat hunting again, but at least it is in lovely surroundings!
As part of our continued quest, to find a boat we cannot afford, we decided to got to the Lake District today. For anyone who has never been it is a lovely part of the country, when the weather is good, that is. We were lucky it was a gorgeous autumn day and the milky sunshine was glistening off Lake Windermere.
We decided to collect my Mum and my Brother en route. It was to atone for our sins, because nowadays it appears the only time we see my Mum is when we need a babysitter!
When we arrived at the lake we sent my Mum, Brother and youngest off to look around the shops whilst we drooled over the moored boats. My Partner once again explained what we were looking for in terms of size, speed and price to the unwitting salesman, and before long we were once again reviewing the vessels we couldn't hope to buy, (yet?).
The few boats they showed us were a bit pricier here than at other places we have looked, but it was still good to assess what was available. Also I expected the boats up here to be used all year around, with it being a lake, rather than the sea. However in winter, unless they are really large, they still need to be dry docked for a time. The winds get really strong and the water level quite high, apparently, so it is better to remove all but the larger vessels from the water. So that is more expense we would have to add on to any purchase, to cope with winter. Hmm will we ever have enough to afford one, I wonder?
Anyway, much to my Mums delight, we ended up with a camper van and a family boat on a trailer after all. Yes, you guessed it. When youngest was allowed to pick a toy from the shop she made a beeline for the boys toys, shunning all of the girly dolls, for something a bit more interesting. She ended up choosing a model car, or rather a model camper van with accompanying boat. I don't think it will really satisfy my partners criteria though in terms of size or speed!
After we had eaten a mediocre meal in a lovely setting by the lake we decided to drive up the steepest pass in the lakes. We wanted to show it to my Brother. We didn't think he would have ever driven up it as his cars are not usually robust and reliable enough to risk such a journey. The trouble was with just the in-car Sat Nav and no maps we couldn't find it! Even our trusty iPhones were not much help. The 3G and Wifi coverage in that area is virtually non existent. After driving a considerable distance in what we thought was the right direction, and failing to find anything, we agreed to return to Ambleside. I had remembered a pass near there with a pub on the top. It wasn't what we wanted, but the pub was a welcome pit stop for a drink and toilet visit. All in all we had a great day as long as we don't dwell on our desire for a lottery win too much.
We decided to collect my Mum and my Brother en route. It was to atone for our sins, because nowadays it appears the only time we see my Mum is when we need a babysitter!
When we arrived at the lake we sent my Mum, Brother and youngest off to look around the shops whilst we drooled over the moored boats. My Partner once again explained what we were looking for in terms of size, speed and price to the unwitting salesman, and before long we were once again reviewing the vessels we couldn't hope to buy, (yet?).
The few boats they showed us were a bit pricier here than at other places we have looked, but it was still good to assess what was available. Also I expected the boats up here to be used all year around, with it being a lake, rather than the sea. However in winter, unless they are really large, they still need to be dry docked for a time. The winds get really strong and the water level quite high, apparently, so it is better to remove all but the larger vessels from the water. So that is more expense we would have to add on to any purchase, to cope with winter. Hmm will we ever have enough to afford one, I wonder?
Anyway, much to my Mums delight, we ended up with a camper van and a family boat on a trailer after all. Yes, you guessed it. When youngest was allowed to pick a toy from the shop she made a beeline for the boys toys, shunning all of the girly dolls, for something a bit more interesting. She ended up choosing a model car, or rather a model camper van with accompanying boat. I don't think it will really satisfy my partners criteria though in terms of size or speed!
After we had eaten a mediocre meal in a lovely setting by the lake we decided to drive up the steepest pass in the lakes. We wanted to show it to my Brother. We didn't think he would have ever driven up it as his cars are not usually robust and reliable enough to risk such a journey. The trouble was with just the in-car Sat Nav and no maps we couldn't find it! Even our trusty iPhones were not much help. The 3G and Wifi coverage in that area is virtually non existent. After driving a considerable distance in what we thought was the right direction, and failing to find anything, we agreed to return to Ambleside. I had remembered a pass near there with a pub on the top. It wasn't what we wanted, but the pub was a welcome pit stop for a drink and toilet visit. All in all we had a great day as long as we don't dwell on our desire for a lottery win too much.
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