A white Christmas- how perfect!

Our first Christmas at Laykin- it was truly magical! The snow just transformed the scenery overnight- couldn't have been more perfect! We were snowed in for 9 days!

Disaster strikes- our road is washed away

Our lovely new road was totally washed out by the heavy rain at the end of November when 9 inches of rain fell in 4 hours and many houses were flooded. The bridge at Cockermouth was washed away and we were so sad to hear about the policeman who got washed away up in the Lakes. Swaledale was badly flooded but not nearly so badly as the Lakes, especially around Keswick

The furrow made by the water in the steepest part of the hill was very deep and it made it hard for our housekeeper and our guests to get up the track. Repair works were started in December, but snow stopped work for 5 weeks so the road wasn't repaired until the end of January.

Robert Stone has now piped the water under the road and channelled the run off to the sides. Fingers crossed that it will work!