It Takes Two

A little diversion from my normal blog format – it's not eBook related, it has nothing to do with technology and it's not even international – in fact it's an unashamed plug for a specific venue in the North West of England and for a Motown legend. So perhaps a little international.

I'm on holiday this week, in a town called Ambleside in Cumbria, home of the Lake District, one of the National Parks in the UK. If any of you find yourself in this neck of woods and are partial to walking, scenery, music and beer then Ambleside could just fit the bill.

The Lake District really has grasped the tourist aspect of a National Park – it has fantastic walks that range from local bimbles to full scale mountaineering, with every grade of walk in-between. Perhaps more importantly the whole district is geared up for walking, with graded routes furnished with signage and supported by literature that guides the novice and the expert walkers alike from start to finish.

Every aficionado of the area has his or her personal favourite destination, and I have a few on my list, but my go-to location is Ambleside. Less touristy than Bowness down the road, slightly more accessible in cost terms than Grasmere a few miles' hike away, Ambleside has a mix of accommodation, pubs, restaurants and other leisure activities to amuse the visitor when not hiking over the hills.

One such location, and a frequent target for myself and my family, is a complex named Zeffirellis, named after the film director and home to an independent cinema complex spread over several locations in Ambleside and also a vegetarian restaurant. Now I'm not a vegetarian by any measure, however the food is so good and varied in this restaurant it took until my third visit before I realised it was meat free!

They also have a jazz bar and feature free gigs on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays. You can drink, eat from their bar menu or just savour the atmosphere while at the Jazz Bar. You may not be surprised to learn that I do all three while on holiday in Ambleside. I'm not a jazz fan in general – regular readers will know that my leanings are towards the blues – but I can take jazz in its many forms in irregular blasts and anyway, Zeffs (as we tend to call it) aren't wholly Catholic in their jazz tastes and I've heard a few good blues acts there for free on my visits.

I was at the jazz bar on Friday just gone, the first night of my vacation, listening to a talented trio named 'The Pete Major Trio' who provided a fun night of accessible jazz. However the lead – presumably Pete – kept hinting that there might be a guest singer later in the set. And so it turned out when Motown singer Kim Weston, who famously duetted with Marvin Gaye on 'It Takes Two' turned up and performed a clutch of songs, including her international hit. Kim later posed for photos and provided autographs to all and sundry. Call me sundry.

Kim might be in her sixties now, but boy, can she sing. She has a powerful soul-filled voice that made the PA at Zeffs almost unnecessary.

In the unlikely event that you find yourself in the region of the Lake District, specifically the town of Kendal, on the 8^th March then you can find Kim performing at an informal evening with Pete and his two cohorts at Kendal Town Hall. Tickets cost £10, which is a snip, and more information can be obtained from mikecritchley@talk21.com.

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