WAINWRIGHT,POTTER & RUSKIN

We have been in the Lake District now for 3 days and have managed to conquer 2 "Wainwrights" (Alfred Wainwright 1909-91 is the much revered fell walker,guidebook author of over 50 books & illustrator) : Haystacks (Wainwright's final resting place is a tarn on the summit) and Cat Bells (not quite the doddle it is described as being)...needless to say the legs & feet are a bit tender.

The scenery here is spectacular at every turn and the views from both summits were breathtaking..

view from the summit

On the rainy day (as opposed to the grey cloudy days..the sun has a bit of trouble showing itself here) we visited Beatrix Potter's former residence Hilltop now a National Trust property kept just as it was when she lived & wrote there...

At Hilltop

Tale of Peter Rabbit

Then to complete the literary theme of the day on to John Ruskin's house "Brantwood" on the shores of Lake Coniston. John Ruskin (1819-1900) was the leading art critic of the Victorian Age & one of the great social thinkers of the 19th century who influenced such greats as William Morris & William Turner. The house was very grand & very beautiful (as you would expect from one so steeped in the arts) and the garden (he was good at horticulture too) on the side of the hill just lovely ...the huge drifts of bluebells particularly fetching!

Lake Coniston is the haunt of another literary great Arthur Ransome too and we saw lots of "Swallows & Amazons" sailing to their hearts content on the Lake immortalised in Ransome's books.

View of Lake Coniston & "Brantwood"

Now that the rain has stopped & the sore legs not so sore.....up another Fell...this time Cat Bells which looks down on Derwent Water. We could walk here from the little village of Portingscale (just outside Keswick). It was very steep...but we made it and the views of the fells around & Derwent Water way below were stupendous....and it was sure worth the effort!

Cat Bell summit

We caught the launch back home....ours is not the one with the pirate flag (and for the Ransome fans Titty & Roger can be seen in the photo below just behind our launch)

To top it all off we visited the 5000 year old standing stones nearby

named Castle Rigg.

Scotland  today & hopefully  (if we don't get lost...a constant theme)maybe a visit to pay our respects to Emperor Hadrian on the way....back to the intricacies of the AA Road Atlas....