I am one for being wild and impetuous and one day I wanted to be wild and impetuous on a long train ride going to pretty much somewhere far away, and I love a good train journey. I picked a place that was far enough away from London but would not take a day to get there, I paid for a tour guide and boarded the train from Euston to one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The home of one Miss Potter and her rabbit. Old English towns are a thing of rare treasure a place trapped in the grasp of time; you see it as if were back in its heyday. If you are into Peter Rabbit and even if you are not, there is plenty to do in the Lake District besides a cruise on the lake Windermere. I would not suggest a day trip, rather a nice long weekend would be ideal for this part of town. Whilst Miss Potter is a big draw there is plenty to love and be enchanted by here…
The Lake District holds a certain charm amongst the English, a sense of national pride because it is one of those rare places that is as dreamy as it is as perfect, bucolic and slow but with a history so uniquely theirs, as you would find in most villages around the country, it is where time goes to stop still. And we seek it, because herein lies a community where neighbours are not simply nosey, they know your name and smile as you walk past. The district sprawls over 900 square miles and a National Park that is one of its crown jewels; sixteen lakes, too many trails to count over two hundred wainwrights and views as beautiful and far as the eyes can see, even further. It’s easy to see why the likes of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth were enchanted by the Lake, why their hearts were encapsulated by its landscape, dramatic and wildly enchanting terrain. It is one of the best places to see the seasons unfold.
GETTING THERE:
Take a train to either Oxenholme or Windermere and then from there continue by car if you really want to enjoy the joy of the lakes. I did this in one day with a tour company but if I could I would have explored it over a long weekend, it is a long train journey but you do go past some of the most beautiful places in the country, only to end up in one of the most beautiful places that has earned a UNESCO world heritage site accolade so it means something.
Stay: I did the lakes in a day but on return I would opt to stay in Keswick, a market town with the easiest access to the Lake District and whilst there, I might spend a day in the Pencil museum because I am a sucker for stationery and there is power in the pencil, so yep this is on my list for next time. It is also close to Derwentwater and Buttermere which are both on my list to visit and should be on yours.
THE SHORT STOP:
STAY:
Lintwaithe House which is like being in a private house with the most incredible views
Queens Head Inn: Public house hotel
SEE::
Yew Tree Farm & Hilltop House: step into the world of Miss Potter. Her dollhouse, her sewing kit, down to the replica mouse beneath the chair just like there is in her stories.
Hawkshead Village: Hawkshead village is home to Hawkshead grammar school, where William Wordsworth attended school.
There is an outdoor market near the grammar school that is good to visit so hopefully it’s a market day
Potter around the village and look out for the street sign that says Wordsworth Street, formerly known as “Leather, Rag & Putty Street. It is home to Ann Tyson cottage where the poet resided whilst attending the grammar school which is now itself a museum that can be visited to see how it was back in the day; names carved on wooden benches with pen knives, and you will find one with Wordsworth name carved on it. sometimes we never grew up because I swear, I did this in secondary school too. Many centuries later.
The home of one Miss Beatrix Potter, there is so much to do and see in the area but Beatrix Potter and her legacy is a big draw, if not the real one. Her story is both inspirational and full of charm.
Some say Hawkshead is the prettiest village in the Lake District, we’ll take them at their word for we have yet to visit all of the great lakes and its villages, it is however unspoilt and holds some wonderful architectural treasures, cottages that go back to the 17th century with pentice particular to the village, beautiful squares, cobbled streets and alleyways, you know how I love a good cobbled street. It is steeped in history having been a successful stop during the wool trade. It is still a beautiful village very much worth your time.
Cruise Lake Windermere: of a summer’s day I have no doubt this will be one of the most magical things to do, even if not cruise the lake but sit by it and let the day roll by, in the winter… not so much but still worth it because this is a treasured and beautiful part of England, of the world even. It is England’s longest lake measuring eleven miles and change; to say this place is gorgeous is to do it a great disservice, it is breath taking.
Tarn Hows, a man-made lake that does not look like it was man-made… how, how on earth did they do that.
The Roadside fountain: I think this one stayed with me the most from this short jaunt, it’s some simple and really not an attraction but more of a jolt to the present, I go back to this quote often enough, to my grainy picture. The quote reads To The Memory of Happy Day. It dates back to 1891, and no one can really explain how it came to be or what it is doing by the roadside except to serve as a poignant reminder not to forget that life really is good, yes everything feels like it is going to hell but happy days, we did have them, we do have them and we will have them. Let us not forget them in the times of troubles we find ourselves in. that is what I take from the lakes and that is why I will always go back to the Lakes to relive the memory of a happy day I spent here.
Wray Castle: Castles… seen one seen them all, but this might be the most fascinating of castles because it has no royal lineage appended to it. Liverpudlian Doctor, James Dawson, decided, on retirement to build himself a castle on the western end of Lake Windermere, a gothic revival complete with towers and turrets. Having married into money, his wife from a gin producing family, he was able to complete the construction of the castle, so I suppose that’s simply what you did back in the day, have money, build castle. As you traipse the surround of the castle, you will notice the two different styles of architecture one more that’s because it was designed by two different architects, one an accountant with an interest in architecture, John Jackson Lightfoot and the other a trained architect by trade H.P. Horner. Where Lightfoot’s iteration is whimsical and fantastical, Horner’s is more measured and temperate. I prefer Lightfoots’s side, but he sadly died of drink having drank himself to death and Horner, the practical, head over heart, architect stepped in to complete the job. From the ruins to the slits this was all part of the build and has no historical significance other than being the whim of one man whose wife it is rumoured, took one look at the finished castle and refused to reside in it.
Upon the doctor’s death, having no children, the castle would pass on to his fifteen-year-old nephew who would then appoint his cousin Hardwick Rawnsley to help look after the castle and be a vicar in the small chapel added by Dawson. Rawnsley who had an affinity for historical buildings, and places was a natural fit for the role, it was also Rawnsley on the advice of John Ruskin who founded the National Trust along with Octavia Hill and Robert Hunter, all three were of the opinion that places of historical relevance should be preserved for future generations. Rawnsley himself, not great love of the modernisation sweeping across Britain at the time preserved the legacy of the lake district fiercely.
One summer, the family of a sixteen-year-old girl rented the castle for their summer holidays, and Rawnsley was invited to one of their dinner parties during the summer, his passion for the protection of landmarks sparked a friendship between him and the sixteen-year-old girl. The girl wanted to be an author and Rawnsley not only encouraged her but would go on to help publish her first book The Tale Of Peter Rabbit. One Miss Beatrix Potter. Miss Potter made her home not shy of three miles from Wray Castle, bought vast lands on the Lake District, including the lands around the castle, and on her death she would leave the bulk of her fortune to the National Trust including the land and her homes in the Lake District.
So yes, come for the castle, the history and its stunning views, of lake Windermere and the peaks surrounded it, the sheep grazing in the distant and an undisturbed beauty; you will not be disappointed.
On the road to the Lake District look out the window. Let your eyes travel. Let your mind wander on the way there.
EAT:
The Old Cobblers Tea shop- Hawkeshead: stop here for afternoon tea that hits the spot. I mean there are many little tea shops that will do the trick also if you cannot get a table here.
The Little Ice Cream Shop- Windermere: A little shop with a lot of ice cream, lots of flavours and really good stuff. This is real ice cream made with local ingredients and a good spot to relax especially on a sunny day.
When to visit:
I’m a shoulder season girl so Spring and Autum are my travel seasons and in the Autumn there can be nothing quite like the Lakes, to see the seasons changed, to catch an early sunrise and bask in the glow of a golden sunset must be the most magical feeling in the world. Spring and Autumn would be my pick of seasons to go and to enjoy, it is also when the crowds thin, schools back open and tourists and travellers on their way out.
I did the lakes in a day as I said, so I did not have nearly enough time to see everything, but I saw enough to have gone back twice over, what can I say, wild and impetuous becomes me, but next time it’ll be for a longer stay.
Final note: it is also a great place for hikes so if this is you, pack good hiking gear and a brolly oh yes a brolly, lovely as the Lakes are, they are also the wettest part in England! Go figure!! Averaging almost two hundred days of rain in the year so pack good weather gear. And I would imagine it would be a joy, bar the rain, for the children to camp over the holidays… so happy camping.
But do go visit the lakes and if you leave town with one thing, make it the rum and brandy butter. Absolutely non-negotiable.