THIS year, I braved the British summer and holidayed at home in the Lake District. I’ve always felt it’s the perfect place for a family holiday and so it proved. From boating on Windermere to scrambling up the crags of the Langdale Pikes, lakeside fish and chips or simply drinks in the beer garden—soggy or sunny, there really is something there for everyone.
Taking my kids to the Lakes provided a special rush of nostalgia, because I went there every summer as a child. My mum adored it, she thrived in the open air and rugged beauty, the freedom and sense of community. That spirit also remains in good health. A friend’s dog—Chilli, a retriever cross—disappeared on a walk from Grasmere, but the whole community came out to search until, eventually, Chilli was found by a local climber. A little
