What can I possibly say about The Lake District (TLD from now on) to do it justice? I knew it was going to be beautiful, but I wasn't prepared for the "presence" it exhibits. TLD is located in the Northwest part of England and is famous for several unique things and residents...
I am going to do 2 postings, b/c I don't want you to feel like there is too much to read in one sitting (although there is a lot in this first one)...and, b/c both parts were equally interesting to me. One day was facts about the area and the other was all about the interesting/famous residents who have called TLD home.
First, I arrived in Windermere by train from London and took a cab to my very quirky hotel/B&B. It was an old manor house built during The Victorian Era in 1853 by the Earl of Lowndon. Tiny does not begin to describe my room, but it was quiet with no squeaking beds or doorways....so it was PERFECT!! I was picked up the next morning by a "coach" called The Mountain Goat where I piled in with 16 other people. My sunny weather did not last up to TLD - rather, it was raining, raining, raining. Actually, it reminded me a lot of Portland - drizzle, a little sunshine, just as you leave your jacket in the coach - RAIN, then gray, a little sun and finally, more rain!
I had a crap seat b/c I was the last person picked up and due to the fact that it was chilly outside and warm inside, the windows were steamed up. No matter...
We began a steep climb up the Fells (aka mountains) on a "road" called "The Struggle". They are not kidding - struggle we did up 1500 feet into the mist - finally breaking through at Kirkstone Pass. This was an ancient trading route and is the highest point in TLD. It was named by the Scots for a stone they found which looked like a church. Kirk means church in Scottish. You cannot see the stone - it is hidden. Probably smart. One of the first cool facts I learned about TLD was regarding one of its defining features .... (well, maybe the fells and Kirkstone were the real first cool thingg, but I didn't begin taking notes until this one...)
1. Dry Stone Walls - as the name suggests, there is no glue/mortar holding these walls together, they are simply stacked stones. After the Enclosure Act of the 18th century, these walls sprouted up as farmers/landowners divided up their property and marked their property lines. These walls are gorgeous and it is rumored that there are between 5-7,000 miles of them throughout TLD - in other words, they are everywhere and very much a part of the landscape. They also provide a nice scratching post for the sheep.
We crested Kirkstone Pass and descended into the Valley where Hartsop Village is located. Interesting fact #2 -
2. Hartsop Village/Patterdale was visited by St. Patrick at some point (I can't remember what year the guy said) where in Mr. St. Patrick blessed the waters. Fortunately for the residents and depending on whether you believe in blessings or not - NOBODY in this area was affected by The Plague. Years later, the church that was dedicated to Mr. St. Patrick was the first Church in England to be lit by electricity. Neat.
Onwards we went past the Dockray Hotel where Mr. William Wordsworth and his new bride, Mary, spent their honeymoon. More on Mr. Wordsworth in pt. 2.
The next stop was at Castlerigg - i.e. a mini Stonehenge. It is thought to be 4000 years old but nobody really knows what it was used for. Either a market, a plotting of the stars, or a gathering place for witches. Regardless, you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains, hills and fells (remember, a fell is a mountain...so this info felt a little redundant). Cool thing about this place - the stones are from 30 miles away. No draft animals back then, so you can only imagine the work that went into hauling these stones 30 miles, up a big hill and then placing them so carefully and specifically. Unfortunately, the place was crawling with both people and sheep. The sheep were cool, but they had shat EVERYWHERE and I was more concerned with not stepping in bombs.
A Lake Cruise followed Castlerigg. However, due to the nasty weather, it was a bit "bollocks". Love this word. Again, cool outside, steamy people inside doesn't make for a very scenic cruise.
We docked in Keswick and by this time, I had gotten COLD. My feet were wet from avoiding sheep shat and I had on 3/4 length hiking pants that were doing a good job of wicking away any moisture but were open for a draft. We were turned loose for lunch, but my first stop was the outdoor store where I bought the biggest, brightest, wooliest turquoise green socks you've ever seen. In other words, I looked SEXY! Don't worry, I took a picture of myself looking silly. This is where total anonymity is good. I could never show my face in that town again ;))
Onwards past Seathwaite - officially the wettest place in England with 3 inches of rain per week. Hmmmmmm - why would you live here?
Driving, Driving, Driving for a while. Remember, I am stuck in the middle b/c everyone had chosen their seats by the time I got on the bus. I was craning my neck left and right trying to take in all the spectacular views that were racing past me. One thing I couldn't help seeing were the amazing amount of one specific flower.....can you guess....??? Interesting "fact" #3
3. Foxgloves - my new flower obsession. It's funny b/c these are the first flowers I chose to put in "Mom's Garden" back home. I loved them at the Chelsea Physic Garden, sent postcards with botanical drawings of them and was blown away by the plethora of both purple and white species up here. When I say they are everywhere, I'm not exaggerating. I heard a lovely saying about foxgloves, which is that they represent Life. They continue to drop and re-sprout their gorgeous flowers higher and higher up their stalks as they mature. Kind of like the saying that we all get better with age. I liked this.
The next stop was at the Honister Slate Mines. I wish we could have taken a tour b/c this looked like an absolutely amazing operation!! Wish I had more to say about this other than most of the slate mined from this area is for roofing tiles.
We stopped down in the valley after the descent of a 25% grade and were let out of the bus for 5 minutes to take a couple pictures....these pictures are cool facts #4 & #5...
4. I took a picture of this HUGE rock and later found out it has a name other than HUGE rock. It is called a "Glacial Erratic". Kinda sounds like a good name for a band, right? The Glacial Erratics....opening for U2! Anyways, they are large stones not originally from that valley. They were brought with the glaciers that carved these valleys out of the fells in a distant time past...long, long ago.
5. Valleys can be "V" shaped or "U" shaped. A "V" shape is carved by a glacier moving basically 1 way - forward. A "U" shape occurs when the glacier moves from side to side as it is moving forward. You can really see the difference in TLD. Neat little historical geology lesson there.
Driving, Driving, Driving....past Braithwaite which used to be home to a pencil factory back in 1693 but moved to Keswick in 1892 after a fire. Ho Hum
Drove past Cockermouth...wow...didn't anybody think about that name before settling on it??
Part of the gorgeous landscape in TLD is b/c everything is so bright and brilliant despite the gray skies and drizzly weather. The green of the fells and trees is sharply contrasted with the purple foxgloves and pops of yellow. Also, you see sheep everywhere. No cows really, just sheep. Well, that brings us to interesting fact #6.....Herdwick Sheep
6. Herdwick Sheep are a super, super hearty breed of sheep that are found only in TLD. They originated in the 12th century in Scandinavia and were brought over by the Vikings. They are totally disease and parasite resistant. However, their wool is very coarse and only used either for carpets or house insulation. Beatrix Potter (more on her later) became a local expert on the breed back in 1920 and purchased lots of land and farms in the area to promote the breed (which she did quite effectively, b\c like I said...they are everywhere!). Upon her death on Dec. 22, 1943, Mrs. Potter left all her land to The National Trust which she helped found with this bequest. Because of her generous donation and in recognition of her life efforts, all National Trust buildings are carpeted in wool from Herdwick Sheep.
After some more driving, the day came to an end and I was dropped back off at The Forest Side "Hotel" where I partook of a "brew" to restore myself. Dinner in the village of Grasmere, a little walk and it was time for beddy-by.....
Next up....Day 2 in TLD where I learned about some of TLD's most famous residents and personalities....and they were fascinating!!
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