Fifty Year of Gold

Celebrating our Golden Wedding Anniversary Amidst Autumn Hues.

Photos and more to follow

Fifty years ago, we said "I do".  Five decades, countless memories, and a lifetime of shared laughter later, we found ourselves asking how best to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary.  The answer felt written in the leaves.  We decided to chase the utimate seasonal symphony, matching our golden milestone with the spectacular, fiery palette of autumn.

Packing our warmest woollen scarves, we set off, with the family, on a romantic road trip through two of the most breath taking landscapes in the UK: the timeless English Lake District and the wild, majestic Trossachs in Scotland.

Our first stop was at HPB's Ivy House in Braithwaite (located near Keswick).  After our journey we all enjoyed  well deserved beer/wine at The Royal Oak, a traditional country inn.  Fortunately, located very close to Ivy House as the first named storm of the autumn - Storm Austen - brought heavy rain to the area.  We then returned to the Ivy House's Restaurant for an excellent meal. 

The following morning was dry but windy.  The family decided to tackle Barrow Fell, a popular 455 metre "starter" fell.  While it isn't strictly on the shoreline, its ridge walk serves up spectacular, panoramic views of multiple lakes, including Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake.  It really was one of those walks where you know the weather might be poor, but you give yourself permission to turn around if you're not enjoying yourself or conditions get really poor.  As the family made their way up the fell, it began to get increasingly windy, with strong gusts making it a little difficult to walk up.  They made it to the top.

Leaving England behind, we drove north stopping at the falls of Clyde to stretch our legs.  There had been plenty of rain from the storm so the river and falls were thunderous and spectacular. Amazing views and a lovely series of walks to all four of the falls.

We continued our journey north into Scotland to experience the rugged romanticism of The Trossachs National Park.  If the Lake District felt like a beautifully painted canvas, the Trossachs felt entirely cinematic.

We arrived at our destination, HPB's Tigh Mor.  A striking Gothic-Baronial building located on the northern shores of Loch Achray.  Known as the "big house in the Trossachs," it features fairytale turrets and grand architecture.

The original hotel was built in 1849 as the Trossachs Hotel.  It historically hosted prominent guests, including Queen Victoria.  After falling into severe disrepair by the 1980s, the building was rescued, restored, and converted into holiday apartments by HPB.

We were so lucky to be staying in a stunning one bedroom apartment in one of the turrets.  The family were in two additional two bedroom apartments, all with beautiful views of Loch Achray.

The next day we all set off to drive over the Duke's Pass.  At first the road tightly hugs the Loch with a fantastic view of Tigh Mor and a herd of Highland cows, grazing in the fields.  We then rattle through sharp bends left and right.  I was grateful I was not the one behind the wheel and I simply leaned back and enjoyed the views along the way.

We parked at the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. A starting point for a network of woodland and hill trails.  From the visitor centre we followed Caroline and white waymarkers along a wide gravel path to An Eas a'Mhangain (the Falls of the Little Fawn).  As we walked we could hear a small stream ahead gradually gowning louder.  We reach the edge of the stream, look to our left, and there - asif by magic - appears a narrow gorge. And at its far end, a waterfall cascades down the steep, rocky slope.  The water in the stream is golden brown,coloured from the peaty soils.

We continue walking, the trail slopes gently downhilluntil we reach a small clearing, and there, on a pedestal of rocks, stands the life-size bronze sculpture of a woman.  She has one hand raised to shield her eyes from the sun, and the other wrapped around the slender handle of an axe.