The previous post in this blog is Brugge.
The next post in this blog is Pampered in Prague.

Weekends : The Lake District 2001

On Saturday, 5 May 2001 in the early hours of the morning Matt and I set off for the South and Central Lake District for the May Day Bank Holiday.

We were so looking forward to rolling green mountains and valleys, blue lakes and just soaking up the breath-taking scenery. We were especially looking forward to climbing Scafell Pike (the highest mountain in England) and walking the fells, but alas due to the foot and mouth outbreak our exploring was well and truly limited.

We arrived at The Langdale Chase hotel (www.langdalechase.co.uk) on the outskirts of the town of Windermere in time for some morning tea. This hotel is a truly magnificent country house hotel, which commands panoramic and inspirational views of Lake Windermere, the largest lake in the region. We also enjoyed awesome views of the mountains from the seclusion of its own wooded grounds. The hotels outstanding interior and location, made it a natural choice for the classic English country house in Alfred Hitchcock's production of "The Paradine Case", starring Gregory Peck. A highlight of this magnificent hotel is a boat house at the waters edge and a croquet lawn below the terrace.

After settling ourselves in we decided to take a drive into the town of Windermere and locate the tourist information office and purchase some maps of the area. In addition to its breath-taking scenery, Cumbria - The Lake District is connected with the poet William Wordsworth and the children's writer Beatrix Potter who both made their homes here. So these two cultural sites were definitely on the itinerary. We then decided to head off towards Keswick. Keswick is nestled between the foothills of Skiddaw (931m) and the gentle beauty of Lake Derwentwater. We enjoyed walking along the pleasant shores of Derwentwater, which means "Queen of the English Lakes". This lake is 3 miles long, 1 mile wide and 72 feet deep and is fed by the River Derwent catchment area in the high fells at the head of Borrowdale. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and sampled the local beer while watching the activities near the launch and boat landings and on the piers. That evening we spent dining at the hotels restaurant, enjoying the days final rays of sunshine.

The following day we set out on a bit of an adventure in search of Hardknott Fort which is near the Eskdale end of Hardknott Pass which, with Wrynose Pass, connects Eskdale with central Lakeland. (This has got to be one of the most thrilling and challenging drives in Lakeland with gradients of 1:3!) This Roman Fort, one of the loneliest outposts of the Roman Empire, built between AD120 and AD138 is on a spectacular site overlooking the pass which forms part of the Roman road from Ravenglass to Ambleside and Brougham at Penrith. The walls surrounded granaries, barracks, and a commandant's house. The baths, with a sequence of three rooms can be seen outside the main walls. An area of flattened ground is believed to be a parade area. We continued our scenic drive towards the coast and noticed an island off the shore - lo and behold it was the Isle of Man!

That afternoon we at last managed to explore the natural beauty of the Lakeland on foot. Everywhere we turned there was an abundance of bluebells and daffodils in the fields and on the mountain slopes. After 2 hours of walking we enjoyed some refreshments in the garden of a pub in the quaint town of Ambleside which is situated at the northern end of Lake Winderemere. We spent our last night dining at the hotels restaurant, enjoying the serenity of Windermere Lake.

On Monday morning we met up with Candy Mottram and Sven Pilsner and drove towards Grasmere for some morning tea. Dove Cottage, with Rydal Mount close by, both former homes of Wordsworth can be found near Grasmere, so we decided to visit Dove Cottage. On our guided tour of Dove Cottage, some interesting history was noted.

William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth. From 1779 until 1787 William attended the Grammar School in Hawkshead. At Hawkshead William thrived - receiving encouragement from the headmaster to read and write poetry. During these years he made many visits to the countryside, gaining inspiration as the powers of nature exercised their influence. He then went to St John's College Cambridge, where he was not a notable student, but inevitably matured in thought and sophistacation. In 1795 he received a bequest of £900 which gave him the means to pursue a literary career. In December 1799 William and his sister Dorothy moved into Dove Cottage, in Grasmere. Dove Cottage was built in the early 17th Century and for over 170 years was an inn called the "Dove and Olive" until its closure in 1793. It was here where Wordsworth wrote much of his poetry (including daffodil and The Prelude), and Dorothy kept her famous journals.

In 1802 William married his childhood companion Mary Hutchinson. Their three oldest children were born at Dove Cottage - John in 1803, Dora in 1804 and Thomas in 1806. The Wordsworths had many visitors to Dove Cottage - Walter Scott, Mary's sister Sara Hutchinson, Thomas De Quincey, Charles and Mary Lamb, Robert Southey and most of all Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Wordsworth's growing family and the many visitors meant that Dove Cottage became too small, and in May 1808 they moved to Allan Bank in Grasmere. In 1813 they moved to Rydal Mount, where William and Mary stayed until their deaths in 1850 and 1859.

We did not manage to visit Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farm in Sawrey which has become the most visited literary shrine in the Lake District as it was closed due to foot and mouth. So after a restful and relaxing long weekend we headed back to the hustle and bustle of London.

An excellent website for future visits to the Lake District is www.cumbria-the-lake-district.co.uk