The Lakes

 

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The trip there was not without its navigation problems, mainly me and Google maps disagreeing on where we should be going. Needless to say, a 338-mile trip grew an extra 58 miles and we did experience the M1 for 81 miles. Where Google and I deferred was when we were on the M40 and it took us off towards Warwick, home to Warwick Castle, we eventually drove past the Castle and then it was madness from there onwards. We finally took the M62 and joined the M6. After that, with Susan navigating, we made up a huge 12 minutes but still arrive an hour after we were meant to. There was a plus in that we drove on the highest motorway in the country. Height is a relative term, the M62 is the highest motorway in the UK. It reaches 1,220ft near the Pennine Way footbridge. The highest in the world is 16000ft and runs through the Himalayas, as I said it is all relative.

Grasmere is a very pretty little town some 8 miles north of Windermere. Home for a while to William Wordsworth and Samual Coleridge at Allan Bank, the latter quite fancied Wordsworth’s wife until William put an end to their friendship. Coleridge was addicted to some bad stuff and was also a gambler. He did meet an early end but left some amazing poems and prose, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, being one of many.

We visited Allan Bank, home to Wordsworth and Coleridge for 6 years. We did a really challenging walk around the property, what seemed like a gentle stroll ended up with a climb to the top of the property and I am sure close to the top of the peak. On our way back to the village we went on a path to Goody’s bridge, now to say it was an anticlimax would be close to an exaggeration. The Lake District is covered with little stone bridges, some for vehicles and others for pedestrians, this one was a destination and had a name! The walk there was pleasant and the rain held off, always a good thing.

Wordsworth moved from Allan Banks to Dove Cottage on the edge of Grasmere. It is here that William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth lived from December 1799. Where they spent over eight years of "plain living, but high thinking". Wordsworth described Grasmere as ‘The loveliest spot that man has found’.

Wordsworth, Coleridge and Rawnsley

Another interesting fact with regards to Allan Bank, it was the home to Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. Co-founder of the National Trust, which now runs large areas of the Lake District. Rawnsley’s aim was for the whole of society to enjoy the rights to access the countryside. They started out by buying Grasmere Island so the public could enjoy it and it could be protected for all future generations, you know the rest. The National Trust is almost a state in its own right today.

We took to riding the tourist buses that travel from Windermere to Keswick, stopping at Rydal, Amberside, Grasmere and Keswick. Hop on and hop off for £ 8.50 a day, well worth the money and if you are lucky enough to be able to sit on the top, the views of the countryside are a joy in themselves. We did the full loop a number of times and stopped at Amberside once hoping to catch the 505 bus to Conistan for a boat cruise. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the road to Conistan and after waiting an hour, we decided to head back to Grasmere for tea and cake. The convenience of taking the bus was a liberation, letting someone else navigate the narrow, windy roads and not having to use your car.

Did you know ‘mere’ as in Grasmere, is another word for a lake? So when I referred to Windermere lake, I was actually saying Winderlake lake. Not sure but I think this little bit of trivia was learnt from our tour guide on the bus. Most of the buildings and fencing are built from slate, must be a long process as nothing is square.

Walking is what most people do in the Lake District. We saw many all geared up to walk 8 or more miles and one couple arrived on Tuesday evening, full of expectations for a long walk the next day. Well, the next evening we watched them make their way through the car park to their room, he was carrying her rucksack as well as his own and she was hunched over clearly concentrating on putting one pain step in front of the other. Beware those fells, they look inviting but will take their toll. Needless to say, they were not at breakfast the next morning. Medical treatment is what I think she needs.

Changing the subject, we had our own challenge. How to get the shower to work. I am sure there was an instruction manual of 100 pages but when you undressed and just need hot water to wash with the manual is a million miles away. As can be seen from the photo I have attached, it was a hit and miss affair. Not sure about you but I tend not to shower with my glasses on and oh how I regretted leaving them next to my bed. I will leave you to work out how it works from the photo.

Susan joined the queue to buy some gingerbread from a gingerbread shop. Queuing to buy gingerbread does seem like an extreme for gingerbread. The back of the queue started in the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden and was clearly marked out for the tourists.

‘Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name. A unique, spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and cake, its reputation quickly spread and it is now enjoyed by food lovers all over the world.’ Grasmere Gingerbread Shop. https://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk/page/history/

Wordsworth is buried in the garden, with the rest of his family. The famous Osmond church is under restoration, so we did not get to see inside the tower but did wander through the gardens.

Had one of our numerous meals at the Grasmere Tea Gardens overlooking the stream and gardens. Interestingly like the Gingerbread shop, it has been around for a long time and is very pleasant sitting under a heated, covered patio.

Cannot say I was over-excited about the food in general in Grasmere, but it did fill a gap. My main gripe was the lack of finish, for example, we had breakfast which consisted of bacon, eggs, sausage and toast, sounds fine but a little slice of fried tomato would have completed the meal. Their drinks were expensive, to say the least, £9.60 for a Whiskey, water and ice. Needless to say, I bought a full bottle of Bells the next day for £13. The coffee on the other hand was very good. Illy’s and Lavazza were the two most prominent brands, both good coffees. Worth taking your own drinks when visiting this area.

How can I sum up the Lakes? For one thing, they call their hills and mountains, Fells. I always thought the Fells were the valleys but they are the Peaks and hills as the definition states.

Fell (from Old Norse fell, fjall, "mountain") is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill.

Back to summing up the Lakes. Beautiful countryside with quaint little villages every 3 or 4 miles apart. If you take the Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth element out, you are left with the mountains, valleys and lakes. Life is lived at a gentle pace and the citizens of the Lakes are very friendly. Some really so, our waitress called me Darling, the first time I met her and Susan was Sweetheart. We did think she had taken a shine to us but alas we were mistaken, everyone who walked into the lounge was showered with terms of endearment.

The Lakes is a place to walk, long or short, it is all about walking the fells and gazing down at the lakes, which are not really used for anything but a boat ride and to be admired. We saw them from afar and as it rained most of the time we were there, avoided any close contact.

Would I go back? Definitely.