Over the last few years, a family wedding was in the planning and my presence was required! Contrary to tradition, the couple were set on having their wedding near the parish of the husband, rather than the bride. Perhaps the reason being that the village in question was rather pretty in the remote area of the lake district, not far from the town of Penrith, Cumbria. The happy pair had spent holidays walking around the area. So careful travel arrangements were needed so Avanti West coast had to be booked. After a long journey travelling most of the length of the country – six hours from my local station up to Penrith, a missed connection with delay, I arrived at the station.

I had taken advantage of snapping numerous photographs as we speeded along, as the hills and dales got better and better the further north we went. There was plenty of inspiration here for drawing and painting if I could get close to the views. It reminded me of the Jane Eyre film locations as much as the book. I was met at the station by my sister who whisked me off to book in at the George and Dragon, at nearby Clifton. A splendid modest public house and B&B with hearty, excellent, fare and very comfortable beds with a warm puffy duvet.

An early evening brief visit to nearby Askham Hall, was also of interest, as it had very elegant interiors where some guests could stay. The great day loomed the next morning, so off we went to the nearby church. I’m an early arrival freak for various reasons, and so I started to do sketching outside the church, whilst a brief rehearsal was in process. The trees inspired me again. A slight breeze was developing but nothing that became problematic.

The wedding went beautifully, the vicar managed to make his speech amusing in style. The aisle was very pretty with meadow flowers dotted about. Afterwards we all trailed back to the reception area held in a large barn for a very high quality dinner. I chose sea bass and smoked salmon, with a chocolate torte pudding followed by dancing. I didn’t need any food the next day! It was an exhausting but fun day. I had limited transport options being only on the train and my ticket was returned next day. I killed time exploring Penrith, having decided to use the twice a day bus service outside the pub. Again I chatted to a fellow walker, with his jolly northern accent. Penrith was a sweet town with quaint independent shops including a pretty delicatessen grocer.

However on the way back there were yet more opportunities for snapping hills as I came down the country, including an amazing Lowgill viaduct reminding me of Harry Potter Glenfinnan viaduct fame. One nasty side effect was that as I neared Euston, I started to feel queasy having made sketches and endless photographs as we speeded along from the side of the window. Not pleasant. Only when I reached the underground again did I feel so much better! This is a magical area, there must be a return journey another time. It was a great improvement from the last visit when I was small in the late 1970s in endless fog and rain! A memorable and beautiful few days and a definite destination for next time.