England and Scotland Day 4
England and Scotland
Day 4 - October 4, 2006 - Tour the Lake District, Wordsworth and Potter
This morning the fog was thick as we woke at 6:45. We had plenty of time to shower, get ready, check our mail, and then have breakfast. I had found that the rooms closer to the reception area had Wi-Fi access so Gennie asked for a room change and we were given one of the original rooms of the Inn directly over the bar area. We quickly packed and moved all of our things and were relocated before we met our group to leave at 9:15.
Simone gave us a brief history of William Wordsworth and we arrived at Rydal Mount, the beloved home of the family until his death at 80 years of age in 1850. We began with a historical explanation by a local guide. We were able to tour the house on our own and see letters and writings from Wordsworth as well as his friends and contemporaries; Scott, Coleridge, Lamb, Keats, and Shelley - the Golden Age of English Literature.
Wordsworth was one of the most influential poets of the 19th century and spent much of his adult life in Grasmere and Rydal, right in the heart of the Lake District. He died at Rydal Mount in 1850, and is buried, with his family, in the Grasmere churchyard. He celebrated his love of the Lake District and settled domestic life in poems such as "Home at Grasmere." Themes that draw upon his Lake District experiences also permeate his greatest works, including The Prelude and his poems in Lyrical Ballads.
We left the house and had time to explore the gardens, a unique example of life in the romantic period. From the compound at Rydal Mount, we hiked the Coffin Trail, the route that pallbearers had to walk to take the dead down to the Glasmere church yard for burial. Our two hour hike along this rocky trail was a great experience as we stopped to take many photos and learn about bracken, a fern like ground cover, which is now turning golden brown.
Our hike took us over rocky paths and we great views of the lakes and dry stone fenced pastures. We all talked about how difficult it would have been to carry a coffin over this terrain.
At 12:10 we reached the car park where we met Kenny for our next adventure. We continue to the village of Ambleside, located at the head of Lake Windermere. Half of our group chose to stay at the village of Hawkeshead to explore and have a longer lunch. Seven of us went on to Hilltop Farms.
We passed the tiny 17th-century Bridge House and heard about the children's author Beatrix Potter. Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit and other endearing characters influenced by Lake District animal life, fell in love with the area when she first visited it on holidays and later settled here.
At her death in 1943, she left her properties to England's National Trust for conservation of their history and natural beauty. We spent about an hour looking around; Gennie especially loved this discovery as she could quote the lines from the Peter Rabbit stories from her years teaching Kindergarten and reading to our son, Eduardo.
At 1:45 we drove back to Hawkeshead and got a little something to eat from the takeaway shop - coop - and joined the rest of our group. As we sat on a park bench and had our little lunch, we watched the hikers and tourists. So many of the English have their dogs, all different breeds, and most of them very well behaved on leashes.
This community enjoys the car-free village center where we still got the feel of the time when this was a medieval market town. Whitewashed cottages with roofs of local Lakeland slate line cobblestone streets that Wordsworth walked as a schoolboy, for it was here that the poet-to-be got his childhood education. His 1855 grammar school still stands. The landscape around the town typifies Lake District beauty, from mysterious moors to the Grizedale Forest and the shore of Lake Windermere.
We all met at the bus at 2:15 and Kenny continued to drive these very narrow country roads to our next stop, a 19th century bobbin mill. This facility was a vital contributor to the English textile. Because the area had an endless supply of water to run the machines as well as wood for the raw materials, it was a perfect location. We were able to see the traditional process of cutting the wood, grinding the bobbins to various shapes, and the final waxing for the different threads need for the textile mills.
Our next stop was at Jim Hodgson's farm where we shared afternoon tea. Simone explained the significance of the tea ceremony was a reflection of the prosperity of the family. As we drove through the gate we met 48 year old Jim who described his 3,000 acre farm owned by the National Trust but leased by he and his three brothers.
The primary function of the farm is the grazing of sheep and Jim explained about the colored markings and ear tags designating the owners. Wool is very cheap now and he can hardly give it away, his sheep are raised for meat and breeding stock.
We all went into Jim's 500 year old house. We toured the house and then had tea, scones, cookies, and little cucumber sandwiches, all prepared by his mother. We had a very enjoyable time talking to Jim and his mother and did not say goodbye until 6:15.
We were about an hour from the Swan Hotel and because of the lateness of the season, it was very dark and we admired Kenny's driving on these narrow and twisting roads. We were all tired from our busy long day and did not feel like eating a full meal so we went into the pub and Gennie had pumpkin soup and I had a feta cheese and tomato salad.
We settled for the night, Gennie washed a few pieces of clothes, I worked on pictures and then together we wrote the journal. By 10 PM we were ready for bed.
Swan Hotel -- Glasmere, England - - - Meals: B
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