Month: May 2022

Crossing the River

We walked down Lower Marsh, across Waterloo Bridge, past Somerset House (we’d been hoping to visit Photo London and in to the Strand at Aldwych. Click any image to see them all enlarged (in your browser).

Train Trip to Farnham

A Day trip to Farnham to see UCA (University for the Creative Arts). Once again, I slowed my shutter to gather motion-blurred images of the countryside.

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Train from Penrith

Thus ended our glorious sojourn in the Lake District. From Keswick we took a bus to Penrith and caught the train to London’s Waterloo station. Once again, I slowed my shutter to get some motion-blurred, pictorial images of the English countryside.

Click any image to see them each full sized (in a browser).

Cat Bells

Alighting at Hawse Landing we then clambered up Cat Bells, without doubt our hardest climb, about 450 meters up. Described by all the guide books as “…one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved: its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble,” this walk took the breath out of me and “scramble” means climbing up rocks with your hands. After descending and walking along the lake, we returned by boat from Hawse Landing to Keswick and the ducks.

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Walla Crag to Keswick

No place to go but down from Walla Crag, passing along the shore of the Derwent Water and through Manesty Park we eventually made it back to our hotel in Keswick.

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Keswick to Walla Crag

The next morning, after another hearty breakfast, a taxi took our bags onward to our hotel in Keswick and deposited us in the town center. From there we hiked up to Wall Crag, at an elevation of over 375 meters, for even more stunning views including of the Derwent Water.

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Grasmere to Helm Crag

The next morning we walked out of Grasmere past someone’s lovely garden and hiked up a steeper trail to Helm Crag (about 350 meters). The views were stunning. Another 10-mile day. You should go if you get the chance! Click any image to see each of them enlarged to full size.

Rydal Mount to Grasmere

We continued walking the trails from Rydal Mount, some of it in a steady light rain, down to our next stop, Grasmere (not the one in Staten Island!). Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth lived earlier in his life is a major attraction here. By the time we arrived apps told us we’d walked 10 miles. This proved to be the case almost every day of this vacation to the point that I actually lost a few pounds!

Rydal Mount

After a misty walk from Ambleside we arrived at Rydal Mount Gardens. Some of these gardens were designed by William Wordsworth who lived nearby for the latter half of his life. While we waited to tour his house we visited the Grot, a small grotto designed specifically to give a romantic, pre-composed view of the gorgeous nature abounding. We had pre-booked our tour and the guide was a young man with a lot of Wordsworth expertise living in a small apartment in the house who gave us a lively and fact-filled introduction, then let us get on with it. Click any image to see them each enlarged to full size.

Ambleside to Rydal Mount

After an excellent dinner and a good night’s sleep we set off the next morning from Ambleside to Rydal Mount, taking picturesque walking trails alongside private homes. Click any image to see each image enlarged to full size (in your browser, not email).

Bowness

Samuel Johnson wrote Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia in the 18th century and I read it in college in the 20th (it’s where we get the word serendipity from). The grave of Rasselas, native of Abyssinia is in the churchyard of the 15th century St Martin’s church in Bowness. Lovely weather brought the tourists out in the pier area. Click any image to see them each enlarged to full size.