Lake District

14th May - Tuesday

A passing view of Ulverston 

Some bluebells just coming into flower 

Castle Muncaster 

Pebbledash village 

William Wentworth's birthplace 

A 17th Century hedgehog - not quite like a 21st Century hedgehog

Has "I wandered lonely as a cloud" been used by anyone else? 

Come on birds, we aren't scary! 

Oh what a feeling! 

One mighty long waterfall 

Honiston Pass

Hello! 

Honiston Pass 

Note the snow drifts - and the fresh snow on the high peak in the background 

Herdwick sheep - local to the Fells

Another cold morning – but no rain! Today we set off to Ulverston (no “e”) first up, which proved to be a very old market town, before heading for the coast and the Western Lakes District. This was picturesque farming land, with the Irish Sea in the distance to the west and the towering, bleak peaks of the Fells to the east. We did feel the villages in this area weren’t quite as pretty as in the other areas we have visited – the buildings all seemed to be finished with a type of stucco known as pebble-dash. One pleasant surprise as we climbed up out of a lush green valley was to see a castle perched half way up the hill.


We continued to follow the coast for some time before heading inland to Cockermouth, the birthplace of William Wordsworth. We found a car park on the banks of the Derwent River (I’m sure the hotel owners didn’t mind us making use of their land!) and headed into the Wentworth house for a look around. The front rooms of the house are furnished with antiques from the 18th Century and are definitely “don’t touch,” while the rear rooms contain reproductions and is very much “hand on” or even try the bed! William lived in this house until he was 13. There was even a garden out the back, complete with a “perchcrow,” so called because he isn’t scary enough to deter the birds, although Cat did cuddle up in the hope that one would land.

After leaving Cockermouth, we headed deep in the Fell country, along a narrow and windy road, with some spectacular views of the mountains, lakes and waterfalls. Even though it was a Tuesday, there were still a large number of walkers taking advantage of the sunny weather (the temperature actually hit 11 degrees for a short time). We continued further into the mountains, travelling through the Honiston Pass, with its slate mine and a very friendly pony who tried to give me a kiss through the open window. A sign informed us that the road would narrow! Down the other side, along the shore of Derwent Waters and we arrived at Keswick.

Keswick was a lovely town and was home to James Herriott (All Creatures Great and Small), I believe. We found a car park, inserted the appropriate coins in the usual machine, and went for a stroll through the main street. Surprisingly, all the shops were either cafes or selling outdoor and walking gear. We continued towards Windermere, passing through Grasmere (where Wordsworth is buried) and Ambleside. The RAF was very busy today, keeping us ducking with their low level flying.