Today was a travel day, and travel on trains makes for less interesting blog posts, so I am handing over the blog to guest contributor Tim Slevin, who couldn’t join us for the walking (ankle and back issues), but instead had his own adventure traveling the Lake District by bus, and being pestered by us when we kept stumbling upon him at the end or even in the middle of our hikes. He is also our expert food photographer and chronicler. Take it away, Tim.

Our culinary adventures in the Lake District began in Windermere, one of the largest towns, on an eponymous lake. Our innkeeper advised that the best restaurant was Cafe Italia, only a block away. We marched over about 6, to be confronted by a bouncer at the door with a walkie-talkie. We convinced him of our A-list status and were eventually seated next to… well, not the place to comment here. All of us selected pasta, as you can see. A most auspicious start!

The next day found most of us with the traditional full English breakfast, a recurring theme.

That day, we ended in another large town, Ambleside. A Bangladeshi eatery, Inshaa, was close by. We piled in and quickly picked our dishes to share, except for a Tim with a predilection for the very hottest dishes. He picked a lamb phaal, which should be served only in rooms with sprinklers and perhaps halon fire suppression. We had, in decades, never heard Tim speak with such low voice as when he ate a chile hidden in the sauce. Tim, also, only eats lamb when he can’t taste it. Curious. In total, excellent food, as can be seen below. The biryani was the consensus star of the evening.

Next day, I, the nonhiking Tim was stalked by the hikers at the Brittania Inn, so when they left, I moved on to Wainwrights, where I enjoyed a crispy baguette with steak and onion and a salad. Nothing, unfortunately, survives as a record of the meal.

That night found us in the remote end of a valley with the Climber’s Bar the source of sustenance. The two Tims had savory pies, Hank and the sister with delicious pasta. Karen, however, won the night with a chicken parm popper – jalapeños to the rescue!

The next stop was Coniston, where I had a delicious Capricciosa pizza for lunch and the others, a fantastic trailside repast of mini chocolates.

Dinner was lakeside, with Tim H. having a dieter’s venison plate, and I a rich creamy roast chicken and mashed delight.

The morning found two of our hikers with Eggs Benedict, and me with black pudding! Delicious!

We bookended the trip in Windermere, at the same Italian restaurant, greeted as proper A-listers. A pizza fest! Perhaps Tim H., with a pepperoni/chilli spicy pie, won the contest. See below.

[Editor’s note: Photos of the mouth-watering pizzas redacted to prevent food envy. May be reinstated at a later date, if editor can find the photos…]

UPDATE

[Editor’s note: Tim Slevin has kindly resent the photos of the final meal, which you will find below. The editor responsible for the misplacing of the photos has been sacked.]