Home Again!!

After three days of travel in the Lake District, we arrived back at the Castle a little before 6:00 pm this evening. Although we had a wonderful time away, the buzz going around the coach as we drove up Narrowgate to the entrance of the Castle was "we're home."

The weather while we were away was very favorable. Sunny, clear and warm on Monday, and then partly cloudy and warm on Tuesday and Wednesday. This has been the wettest and coldest season on record for the Lake District so we won the weather lottery. On Monday, we visited Rydal Mount, where William Wordsworth spent many years of his life with his wife and family. We self toured the house and gardens. The gardens were splendid this year--much better than when we saw them two years ago. After the gardens, some people chose to ride the coach back to the village of Grasmere, and others chose to walk the three mile "Coffin Path" from the fells around Rydal to the village of Grasmere. The Coffin Path it just what it sounds like--in times past it was the route down which coffins (complete with bodies inside) were carried for burial in the village churchyard. There is at least one large rock left on the roadside near the village where the coffin bearers stopped to rest the coffin before continuing on.

Monday evening, we went the Centre for Storytelling to hear a local storyteller, Taffy Thomas. We started the session in the Storyteller's Garden, then moved indoors to the Listening Room, where we heard more stories and saw Taffy's "tale coat". We also enjoyed a cup of tea and a piece of the famous Grasmere gingerbread.

Our accomodations for the trip were the Glenthorne Guest House, which is a lovely and peaceful bed and breakfast run by Quakers. There were no televisions or radios in the rooms, just the sweet sound of sheep, cattle, and the wind blowing lightly. The silence surrounding the house is wonderful--something that we as Americans have way too little of in our lives.

Tuesday was Beatrix Potter Day, with a visit to Hill Top Farm at Near Sawry and the Beatrix Potter Gallery in nearby Hawkshead. There was lots of time for pictures and gift shopping at Hill Top--you'd never guess that the American dollar is so weak against the British pound--the gift shop would like us to visit often. There was also time for an optional walk in the area that several people took advantage of. After the Gallery in Hawkshead, there was time for even more shopping. I hope everyone remembers the weight limit on luggage still is in effect for the trip home--some of those bargains may turn into expensive purchases!!

Today we were fortunate to visit Wray Castle, which is not normally open to visitors. It is the property where Beatrix Potter and her family spent their first summer in the Lake District. We got to see five rooms in the house, plus the gardens which are being restored. From there, we traveled out of the Lake District heading for Hadrian's Wall. Our coach driver was kind enough to take us through Kirkstone Pass (1500 feet above sea level) so we got to some dramatic fell scenery. The pass is closed in the winter and it doesn't take a lot of imagination to understand why! We then traveled along Ulswater, the longest body of water in the Lake District. We arrived at Housesteads, which is the ruins of a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, about 3 pm. It was quite a hike up to the ruins, but everyone made it. After spending about an hour there, we made a final stop at Steel Riggs. Steel Riggs is one of the best spots to get an idea of what the Wall might actually have looked like in Roman times. A great spot for photographs.