|
The chance to stroll amongst a host of golden daffodils during our visit to the Lake's was prevented by the ever unpredictable British weather. No sooner had we arrived at The Tower Bank Arms, which was to be our base, when six inches of snow dropped from the sky, 24 hours after that, no snow and beautiful sunshine!
We started by explaining that there are three vital items required for a trip to the Lake District, an ordnance survey map, a whistle, and a bar of Kendal Mint Cake! Daniel Quiggin and Son are one of the specialist manufacturers base in Kendal itself. The two Davids that make the cake showed us how it was done. Mr Quiggin started the company 150 years ago in Douglas on the Isle of Man, one of his sons came to Kendal in 1872, and they have been a major supplier of the energy-giving sweet since.
Kendal Castle is notable for a couple of points, the first being the enormous climb up to it, the second that it was built by the Sheriff of Lancaster who was one of the Barons who went against King John and made him sign the Magna Carta in 1215, and thirdly because of a little girl who grew up there, Kateryn or Catherine Parr who in 1542 became King Henry VIII's final wife.
To Windermere, and the first of three completely different ways of travelling on water in the Lake's. The police speed boat at Windermere is crewed by everyday policemen stationed at the little Windermere cop shop. Used to stop speed boats from breaking the speed limit on the lake, for call out in emergencies, and for general police work, it is without doubt the fastest boat I've ever had the pleasure to ride in. The chain ferry across the lake is exactly that, two wheels on each side of the vessel pick up metal chains that lie under water, the chains turn around the wheels and drag the ferry from one side to the other.
On Coniston Water we met up with Gordon Hall who owns the Coniston Launch 'Ruskin' which cruises up and down the lake pointing out land marks from Arthur Ranson's 'Swallows and Amazons' and such buildings as the home of John Ruskin. Gordon also lives in the former home of Beatrix Potter in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead on the B5285 along the banks of Esthwaite Water. Near Sawrey is as unspoilt today as when Beatrix first put pen and brush to paper about the animals of Hill Top. Unfortunately the National Trust is somewhat touchy about attracting too many visitors to its treasured spots, so we were unable to show much of the village, with the exception of The Tower Bank Arms. This fantastic little pub is shown quite clearly in the tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, page 44, when Kep the collie dog goes looking for Jemima, and is kept in exactly the same condition to this day. The pub does have a couple of simple but very comfortable rooms, and we were lucky enough to book two of them.
Obviously a visit to the Lake's would be incomplete without taking in something connected with William Wordsworth. Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home between 1799-1808, has become part of an award winning museum to the Poet Laureate. The cottage, which was once the Dove and Olive pub, is full of Wordsworth furniture and artefacts. The museum next door contains such priceless pieces as Dorothy's (his sister) journals and Wordsworth's manuscripts. Dove Cottage is on the main Ambleside to Keswick road, A591.
|
|
