07 August 2005

More Holiday

We had intended to do some walks but it was so wet that idea got shelved, instead we went to the Pencil Museum in Keswick we found out how they get the lead into a pencil and I bought some drawing pencils including some metallic ones.

Pencil Collection at the Pencil Museum

The local buses have what must be some of the most scenic routes in England so we took advantage we went on a round trip over Honister Pass.

On Way to Buttermere


The weather was not good, sometimes the sun did shine but most of the time it was either threatening to rain or raining. This was on the way to Buttermere

Buttermere

Beck on the way up to Honister Pass

Unfortunately buses are not the best for taking photos don't get the best views

Just at the Top of Honister Pass

Most of the journey was done on roads that were only just wide enough not to be considered single track, we frequently stopped and waited for land rover drivers to realise that though they are big the bus was bigger and it was easier for the smaller vehicle to get out of the way.

On Thursday we went to Dove Cottage near Grasmere.

Dove Cottage

It was interesting such a small building practically three rooms on the ground floor and 3 on the first floor and as the Wordsworths were always having visitors must have been a very cramped house too. I also visited the Wordsworth Museum but I found that less of a draw, the paintings were not brilliant and because I'm not very into poetry, although I had heard of most of the people mentioned I haven't read any of their work. Apart from that is Thomas De Quincey; I started to read his "Confessions of an English Opium Eater" but couldn't get on with it. (Before everyone starts calling me a philistine, I prefer prose to poetry and I did 20th century poets for my English Literature 'O' Level and I got a B!)

We didn't go into Grasmere village which though very pretty was chocka with damp tourists and kitschy tourist shops

Grasmere Village

On the final day the weather finally improved and we went for a trip on the launch that sails on Derwentwater.

Ducks and Geese on the slipway

Lakeside House by Derwentwater

Boat hidden in the rushes Derwentwater
Saw this boat hidden in the rushes at the Lodore staging point.

On Derwentwater

On Derwentwater

10 comments:

  1. Lovely pics Jane. I haven't been up there for years but now I'm tempted to book a holiday there next year.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don - Thanks it was my first trip in years as well

    ReplyDelete
  3. oooh lovely...was up in ambleside just at easter

    tis beautiful up there, even when it rains (thank goodness!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Little known fact: The closest I ever came to death (so far) was at Buttermere. Hypothermia. Not a nice thing

    ReplyDelete
  5. yay it did!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just testing to see if my picture works. It's a boa, very me I think! I hope you had a lovely holiday love the pics and did you send me a postcard?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chick - It is beautiful even in the rain, I want to go back in winter when there is snow on the hill tops (hopefully)

    Siobhan - You must tell us more.

    Charlotte - Yes it does, Yes I did and no I didn't I bought a card but forgot to send it to you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lake district is wonderful whatever the weather - still haven't stopped cursing my sister for moving away from Coniston. OK, so I'm a cheapskate into freebie holidays, I know. :) Hope the weather didn't spoil it too much for you Jane. And the Hotel you stayed at sounds fabulous, almost like it's stuck in a time warp - thank god.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice photos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative blog.

    ReplyDelete