(Wordsworth's Classroom)I woke up after a not so restful sleep, I believe it was a combination of the very quiet stillness of the country, the very heavy duvet and sleeping in a new place but it didn’t really matter because I was so excited to see some more of the beautiful district. I had a full English breakfast and planned out my day which would take me to Ambleside on the northern shore of Lake Windermere and on to Rydal, the last home of the famous poet William Wordsworth. After making it to Hawkshead I realized I had just missed the bus to Ambleside and had to wait 45 minutes so I took advantage of my time by visiting the Hawkshead School, which Wordsworth attended and was established in the 1500s. It still has some of its original desks that are carved to the bone by the hands of five centuries of schoolboys. I walked up the hill to the parish church where I got a good view over the small town and then headed back down to the bus stop in time to catch my bus. I reached Ambleside later than I had originally planned so grabbed a sandwich to take with me on my hike to Rydal and set off. After wandering along a very nice gravel path through pastures of grazing cattle and sheep with the shadow of a large peak in front of me I arrived at Rydal Hall. I strolled around the gardens (thankfully free) and did a couple of sketches of the hall and main garden before continuing on to Rydal Mount, Wordsworth’s home. It’s a lovely white washed cottage built in traditional Lakeland style in the 16th century and added on to by the successive tenants. It was very cozy and livable, in fact its currently owned and occasionally occupied by the contemporary Wordsworth descendents. The sloping lawns and gardens look down over Rydal water and to Windermere to the south, a truly lovely and inspirational setting for a poet and artist.
(Near Rydal Hall)If I had had more time before I had to get back for the bus I would have walked 3 miles further on to Grasmere where another of Wordsworth’s homes, Dove Cottage, is located. Since I didn’t think I would have time to make it and see the house sufficiently I decided to hike up to see Rydal falls, a serious of water falls that come along the river leading to Rydal water. It was lovely walking through the lush woods and hearing the calming sounds of the rushing water. I even clamored down to the base of the largest fall where I sat on the rocks by the water and wrote in my journal. I walked back to Ambleside where I looked at the Bridge house, a lovely little cottage, and I mean little, that breaches a very small brook and is absolutely idyllic. I ate an ice cream while waiting for the bus and made my way back to Near Sawrey by way of Hawkshead. Hill Top house is closed to visitors on Fridays but luckily the garden and gift shop are open until 5 so I went in to have a look before I would be looking at the house the next morning. There were about three other people there, which gave me the feeling I almost had it to myself, something I would later be very grateful I managed to get. If it weren’t for the admissions gate, gift shop and other tourists it would have been like a secret garden tucked away from the main Sawrey road by a hedge and shielding an enclosure with sheep and a small vegetable patch in front of the house. I was utterly smitten and only wish I could have been one of the many American guests that Beatrix welcomed into her home for tea and a chat when on a visit.
(View from Rydal Mount Garden)After gazing longingly upon the scene for a fair amount of time I wandered next door to the Tower Bank Arms pub for a pint of Bees Knees, a local Cumbrian ale. I sat in the beer garden and wrote postcards while sipping my beer and basking in the reality of where I was, something I never seemed to tire of. Pulling out my map of the area in order to lay out a plan of attack for the next day, I was approached by a man who had also been enjoying the local ale. He was in his thirties and visiting the area with his mother as he had done for many years previous and gave me some recommendations for areas of interest and good sites that he’d seen on one of his visits. We had a nice chat about the beauty of the area and then I said goodbye as I strolled back to the hotel to make myself presentable for dinner.
(The Falls)I showered and organized my belongings before joining the other guests in the bar to a wait dinner. The food was even better the second night and I passed the time between courses reading my enticing medieval murder mystery novel. After dinner I retired to the lounge for coffee with the other guests and chatted with a lovely couple from the Manchester area that were also accompanied by their two golden retrievers who proved very popular among the guests. It was, I must say, a very pleasant way to end the day.
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