Northern Lakes District

Waterproof attire was essential, but the fact that it rained until mid afternoon didn't dampen our enthusiasm for exploring this beautiful region.

As we climbed the Cumbrian Mountains, clouds descended to meet us. For a moment I was sure I glimpsed a 9. It certainly felt like a 9! Imagination was required, and lots of it. This morning we could only imagine the beauty of the areas we visited.

Patterdale stands at the head of Ullswater. It's usually dominated by Helvellyn, but the 3117 foot mountain was shrouded in cloud. Patterdale was named after St Patrick. It is claimed he walked there following his shipwreck on Duddon Sands in 540 AD. Built in 1853, St Patrick's Church is noted for its beautiful tapestries by Ann Macbeth.

Keswick is the capital of the Northern Lakes District & home to the Cumberland Pencil Factory. It is one of the oldest industries in the area. It was our plan to visit the museum, however, the £3.80 an hour for parking did more to dampen our enthusiasm than did the rain. A local government tax we weren't prepared to pay on this occasion. I mentioned the cost of parking in an earlier bulletin. On average, we are now paying £10 a day for parking. The cost of an evening meal! Even to visit an information centre or use a public toilet, one has to feed a parking meter. Then there is the additional 20 to 50p to do just that!

Bassenthwaite, on its namesake lake, is a remnant of glacial activity from a time past. Towering above the lake's western shore was Skiddaw. At more than 3000 feet, its peak went unsighted today.

Mid afternoon the rain abated. We continued our Cumbrian tour under an umbrella of grey sky. Stepping into Dove Cottage, once home to William Wordsworth, I was transported in time to 1799. Now in the care of the National Trust, it is claimed little has changed since Wordsworth lived there. The flagstone & timber floors, coal-grated fireplaces, the furniture & his belongings were just as he had left them.



At 5:39 p.m. the sky cleared & the sun shone!

Based on television news reports we faired well today. We understand Northern Ireland, Newcastle on Tyne, Shropshire & the Midlands have been lashed with storms, hail, heavy rainfall & flash flooding. We also had a better day than Rafael Nadal.