Lacy's Caves

Phew we did it! It looked for a moment that week 1 of the 52 week challenge might not happen as we have had a very busy time of it here. Not least due to the fact that there is a new explorer in the house. This is Edward, he is 6 months old and he likes to get out and about too (when he's not busy cuddling and chewing shoes)....

So in honour of Eddie and all the other the doggie adventurers out there, this week's day out is very dog friendly.

Based in the beautiful Eden valley this is a walk to Lacy's Caves near Little Salkeld. The caves were constructed by a Colonel Lacy in 18th century as a folly - some say he used them as a dining room - some say as a cave for his very own specially employed hermit. They consist of 5 spectacular stone chambers directly overlooking the river Eden. The walk to get to them is a very pretty track following the river and old railway sidings where the gypsum works used to be. We followed the walk in this wonderful leaflet produced by the now sadly defunct East Cumbria Countryside Project http://www.eccp.org.uk/images/whats-new/LC+LM.pdf. We didn't do the full loop as it is quite a long walk for little legs, but the walk to the caves and back was just right.

A nice sit down...

If like me you're a fan of a good sit down, you might like to give an Eden Benchmark a try. The Benchmarks are series of 10 highly individual sculptures that double as benches and can be found in beautiful spots along the length of the River Eden from its source at Mallerstang to where it meets the sea at Rockcliffe.

The sculptures were commissioned to mark the new millenium and involved ten different artists who each had a different take on the landscape around them. So why not pack a flask, park your bottom, and enjoy a day out full of art, natural beauty, and not doing very much. Bliss...

Pictures and more information on the sculpture locations are available at http://www.visitcumbria.com/rivereden/edenbenchmarks.htm