Thursday 12th Sept.
...most of them are referred to as Waters or Meres. We are now camped just outside Hawkshead which is just north of Esthwaite Water which is situated between Windermere and Coniston Water. Hawkshead was heaving with tourists this morning - we tend not to think of ourselves as tourists! as we used to live on the outskirts of the Lake District. It seems that most people come to look at the quaint houses dating back to at least the 15th century along with where William Wordsworth went to school and many ‘shops’ about Beatrix Potter who lived very near here and was inspired to write and illustrate her books as well as help to start the National Trust and she made sure that the breed of Herdwick sheep survived. Sorry no photos of sheep, but they are grey and have fluffy legs so look more like large dogs!
Most tourists are unlikely to know that they are only a short walk away from a beautiful quiet ‘lake’ with a swan with its cygnets and about fifty mallard ducks - no boats, no people, just a few cars on the road on the opposite side of the lake. It was so peaceful.
Our walk to the village entails tramping across fields which are often edged with large pieces of slate, the look and size of tombstones! very applicable for the churchy boundary!
Heard on the news today that the Church of Wales has voted in favour of Women Bishops, Yippee!
Friday13th Sept.
Today we opted for a walk away from the crowds up into Grizedale Forest, our aim being to reached an un-named little water. On the way I saw lots of blackberries which were not quite ripe and remembered waking early and listening to the farming programme on Radio4 - there had been a scientific experiment comparing blackberries picked along-side urban roads, rural roads and those bought in a supermarket. The result was that they all had a certain amount of chemicals in them but there was not that much difference. Their conclusion was that it was quite safe to eat roadside blackberries - whereas my conclusion is don’t buy supermarket berries - only eat those from hedgerows well away from any road!
We reached the little water... it was so quiet and still, as you can see from the reflection of the trees - and we were the only people there!
Beautiful!
Wonderful!
Saturday 14th Sept.
We got on our bikes and cycled to the southern end of Esthwaite Water, where we sat on the shore eating cake! As a diabetic, the expending of lots of energy walking up hills and cycling means I can indulge in very fruity home-made cake.
A passing swan but without cygnets made the picture complete.
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