From childhood adventures around Hawkshead and Ambleside to running his own restaurant and watching his grandson explore the same countryside, Emma’s father, Michael, reflects on more than 60 years in the Lake District.
Growing Up in a Different Lake District
For Michael, growing up around Hawkshead and Ambleside in the 1960s was a very different experience from the Lake District visitors know today—he remembers quieter villages, fewer distractions and spending much of his spare time outdoors, usually on his bike with friends. He also had a paper route, which meant delivering newspapers no matter what the Cumbrian weather was doing. There were probably plenty of mornings when staying in bed would have been the more appealing option. "There weren't the same distractions children have now, so you spent much more time outside and made your own entertainment."
The countryside people now travel from around the world to visit was simply part of everyday life. Michael didn't particularly stop to admire the scenery when he was younger because he'd never known anything different. As he puts it, "The countryside wasn't somewhere you made a special trip to visit; it was just around you." It's only as he's grown older that he's come to appreciate just how fortunate he was.
Building a Life in Kendal
Michael eventually moved to Kendal, got his first apartment and trained as a chef. After working in various restaurants, he opened his own, running the business for 22 years before semi-retiring. Hospitality meant long hours and busy weekends, so time spent with family was particularly important. When his daughter Emma was growing up, he loved taking her out into the Lakes, often revisiting places he remembered from his own childhood. "I've always loved the fact that you don't necessarily need a big occasion here. A walk, a drive somewhere beautiful and something to eat can make a perfectly good day."
Given his career, it's probably no surprise that food usually featured somewhere in the plan. Those days out became part of Emma's childhood, just as exploring the countryside had been part of Michael's. He hadn't deliberately set out to recreate his own upbringing, although the traditions carried on rather naturally.
A Changing Landscape
Over more than six decades, Michael has watched the Lake District become a hugely popular destination. Hawkshead and Ambleside are busier, Kendal has changed and there are more businesses catering to visitors. Having spent much of his working life in hospitality, he understands how important tourism is to the area, although he's also conscious that the Lakes must remain somewhere local people can live, work and raise families.
Some things, thankfully, feel much the same. "The landscape. You can drive out of Kendal and very quickly be surrounded by views that have been there long before any of us." Michael also values the straightforward, friendly character of local communities, where heading into town still means there's a good chance of running into somebody you know.
Multiple Generations, One Familiar Place
These days, Michael gets to watch his grandson Rowan discover many of the places he remembers from his own childhood. Emma is now taking Rowan on the same sorts of family outings she enjoyed with her parents, from walks and days by the water to finding somewhere nice for lunch. "There's something quite special about seeing Emma take him to places that she went to as a child, and in some cases places I knew when I was young as well."
Being a grandpa is rather different from being a parent, particularly when you get to enjoy more of the fun parts. For Michael, though, it's also given him a new appreciation for the places his family has shared over the years. Their childhoods have been different, but the lakes, villages and countryside are still there for another generation to explore.
If he were showing a visiting Kendamil family around the area, Michael would take them beyond the busiest tourist spots and toward the quieter roads, farms and villages around Hawkshead and Ambleside. He'd want them to see the communities behind the postcard views, with a good meal and coffee along the way, naturally. Most of all, Michael hopes Rowan grows up proud of where he comes from, even if it takes him a little while to realize how lucky he is. After all, Michael didn't fully appreciate the scenery as a boy, and Emma spent her teenage years dreaming of moving away. There's every chance Rowan will do the same before deciding that home wasn't such a bad place after all.
