Thursday, September 6, 2018

Rosthwaite and Buttermere (Showing off a "Small Island" Part 10)


"It is a walk in heaven."

Rosthwaite
So says A. Wainwright, waxing lyrical about Rosthwaite.  Who's A. Wainwright, you ask?  Only the architect of the Coast to Coast Walk in the UK.  And Rosthwaite?  A village nestled in Borrowdale in the Lake District of the UK.  Thoroughly confused?  Then let me start at the beginning.

From Wikipedia: Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator.  His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his hand-written manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the English Lake District.  Among his 40-odd other books is the first guide to the Coast to Coast Walk, a 192-mile long-distance footpath devised by Wainwright which remains popular today.  (From that guide, I drew the quote above.  Yes, we own a copy!)

In reviewing the guide for this post, I was amused to note his dedication: "Dedicated to the second person (unidentifiable as yet) to walk from St. Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay".  I wonder if it would surprise Mr. Wainwright to know that these days, more than 5,000 people complete the walk every year?  Just imagine the footfalls since the guide was originally published in the Westmorland Gazette in 1973, and since first formally published as a book in 1992.  A whole industry is in place to support Coast to Coast (often abbreviated C2C) walkers - from outfitters that will transport spare clothing and other necessities for pick-up at key points, to farms that welcome campers, and every level of service in between.  Keep in mind that the walk absorbs 12 - 14 days ….

Spousal Unit and I number among the 5,000 that traipsed the C2C in the summer of 2004; we stayed in a different B&B every night, which I think is a rather civilized way to do it.  (It should be noted that my father-in-law has ambled the 192 miles at least twice, and my mother-in-law once.  We followed in fine footsteps!)  If you would like more information about the walk, you can start at this link - or simply go on the web!

And so it is that we often take visitors on short sections of the C2C, especially those that are picturesque and within reach of my-in-laws' house.  Or in this case, a short drive from our B&B in Keswick (see previous posts about this trip to the UK - last summer - with my sister and her husband - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9) .
Middle left: a swimming hole that has hosted our kids on more than one
occasion, as well as one of my nephews
Bottom: Spousal Unit communing with a dry stone wall




On the same day as our visit to Rosthwaite, we sauntered 4.5 miles along the fern-and-moss festooned shores of Buttermere, a scenic lake also found in the Lake District.  We have brought other family guests here, given that the route around the lake is fairly flat, and offers views of fells in every direction - notably the High Stile to the southwest, Robinson to the northeast, Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks to the southeast and Grassmoor to the northwest.



When we are hiking in Montana, Spousal Unit and I often quip "Where is the pub?  Where is the tea shop?" which springs from the quintessential English walk, which always has a tea shop or a pub (or both) at the midpoint of the hike, and certainly at the end.  This day, I was not disappointed when we encountered an ice cream truck halfway through our walk.  I just had to have a '99'.  

The origins of this name for a scoop of vanilla with an inserted flake of chocolate are uncertain.  According to Wikipedia,  one claim has it coined in Portobello, Scotland when Stephen Arcari, a shopkeeper at 99 Portobello High Street, would break a large "Flake" in half and stick it in an ice cream.  Hence the name originated with the address.

Another possibility - Italian ice cream sellers were honoring the final wave of conscripts from the First World War, born in 1899 and referred to as the Boys of '99.  The chocolate flake may have reminded them of the Alpine Regiment's hat, with a long dark feather cocked at an angle.

The Cadbury website says the reason behind the name has been 'lost in the mists of time,' although it also repeats an article from an old Cadbury works paper, which states the name came from the guard of an Italian king which consisted of 99 men, and subsequently "anything really special or first class was known as 
'99' ".  

Well, then - our outing in Rosthwaite and Buttermere was '99', don't you think?

Linking to:

All Seasons



Our World Tuesday Graphic



Wednesday Around the World

40 comments:

  1. Beautiful walk, coast to coast, excellent. And photos, lovely.

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  2. Thank you Angie for that lesson in the origins of a "99". I'm so pleased you enjoyed your time in Keswick. There are some fine towns in the Lakes and Keswick is one of the best. We don't get to the lakes much even though it is about 35 miles away. It just gets too busy, especially so in the summer months.

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  3. ...that small island packs a punch.

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  4. Hello, what a beautiful place and a lovely walk. Happy Friday, enjoy your day and weekend!

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  5. Wonderful series of photos your hiking travels!

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores

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  6. Just beautiful. We talked about doing the coast to coast back in 2006 with friends but were resigned to do short walks because two of our group had some medical issues show up before our trip. We stayed on a farm a short drive from Keswick part of that trip. Your photos make me want to go back to the Lake District. A walk with a pub and/or tearoom is always a delight. Love learning the stories surrounding the 99! Have a beautiful weekend!

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  7. Beautiful country side. In 2005 Ken and I walked a coast to coast in the Lake District with the Wayfarerers. It was one of the best holiday's I've ever had.
    The next year we walked the Ring of Kerry.

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  8. Wow, beautiful photography. And that C2C walk sounds awesome, especially if you could stay in a B&B every night! I might be up for that!! Wonderful post!

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  9. This part of the UK is just gorgeous!

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  10. What a fantastic walk. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  11. What a beautiful walk! How long do you walk between points? I'm reading a series by M.C. Beaton and she talks about right of ways for walkers, or ramblers. It sounds lovely. And exhausting. No wonder the British are in such good shape. And I'm curious enough to let my ignorance show here. When you say the UK, are you talking about just England, or do you include Scotland, Wales, and Ireland in that? I've always been a little confused about that.

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  12. Oh Angie, how beautiful are all of the scenes that you have posted in this lovely post. It looks so peaceful there. I love the trees, the flowers and that little black sheep is so cute! Hoping that you are doing well~

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  13. Dearest Angie; Wow, Gorgeous walk under such fantastic nature☆☆☆
    I enlarged all your beautiful pictures and surprised with the full screen size making them more special♡♡♡ I had wonderful memories visiting your country once. Your blog gave me more impact and fun to visit.
    Thank you SO much for your sweet visit and I'll try to be more faithful as my busy summer is over now p;-)
    Have a wonderful new week. and Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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  14. Lovely nature shot . Green .. keep commenting in my blog because I love your comments.

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  15. Looking great! I will be doing some walking of my own soon, but not out in nature, of the Disneyland kind. :) I hope the smoke has cleared in your area. Enjoy the start of Fall. :) Kit

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  16. Gorgeous photos! What a great hike. Your mosaics are wonderful, too!

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  17. I enjoyed this, Angie. What a fantastic place and I loved your photos and the info.
    Amalia
    xo

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  18. Congratulations are in order that you have hiked the whole trail. How very beautiful. I wish we could do some of the short picturesque parts of it that you show (Even *wishing* to walk the whole thing is too hard for me.)

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  19. A wonderful Post for Mosaic Monday -
    I enjoyed your Post so much.
    By the way, my brother in law was an Italian Icecream seller...
    Wish you a good Week!

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  20. Well done you for walking the entire C2C, it's something my heart tells me I would love to do but realistically I know I never shall. Instead a visit to Buttermere is now going on my "must do" list, if only for the chance of a 99, a treat I haven't enjoyed for at least 3 decades!
    Happy Mosaic Monday.

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  21. Beautiful, beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Happy Mosaic Monday

    much love...

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  22. Totally 99, all the way, Angie! Your photo show that it is a walk in heaven. I love that Wainwright dedicated his book to the second individual to walk the walk. The Husband and I would love that walk.

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  23. I have a Finnish lady friend living in London and she goes to the Lake District to hike every year. Now I see why! That is a paradise - gorgeous photos & views.

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  24. I've seen that coat to coast walk on an English blogger's site a few years ago and was amazed and intrigued by the entire process! It is a beautiful hike ans a wonderful accomplishment. I never heard of the 99 ice cream, but I agree it looks delicious! We often buy "drumstick" frozen ice cream comes here in Costco--where else--and they come in three flavors--plain vanilla, vanilla with a chocolate syrup center, and vanilla with a caramel center. The caramel is my favorite!

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  25. The C2C sounds great and congrats on completing it. Your photos captured the beauty of the landscape perfectly. Thanks for sharing your photos and I enjoyed viewing them.

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  26. Looks like a wonderful walk! Here in Virginia you have to walk a long way to find a tea shop (although they do exist).

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  27. What beautiful views you enjoyed along your walk. Congratulations on doing the C2C! It looks very enticing. In the September issue of Country Living UK there is a feature with several walks in the UK that I would love to do one day. It's a most walkable country, isn't it, and the tea shops and pubs only add to the enjoyment.

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  28. Dear Angie - What a lovely walk tuned into nature of scenic beauties! It must have been “99”. Have happy September ahead.

    Yoko

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  29. This is the glorious country where William Wordsworth wrote his equally glorious poetry. He was born in Cockermouth and the Wordsworth museum with many of his manuscripts is in another town whose name just eludes me for the minute. I hope you took the time to read some Wordsworth before visiting this area. It really does improve your experience of the Lake District.

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  30. wow, beautiful country for sure. So much to explore :)

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  31. Thank you for showing off Rosthwaite and Buttermere and the amazing walks Angie. Visiting from Maggie's Mosaic Monday.
    Joy

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  32. what an amazingly beautiful walk!! a pretty area i would enjoy visiting!!! your images are exceptional!!!

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  33. Such beautiful countryside. If I ever moved back to England that's where I'd want to live.

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  34. So very lovely! I've been to London, but sure would love to explore more of England!

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  35. Gosh, what fantastic scenery! I'm so glad you shared your trip with us. You photograph things that I would :)

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  36. It's so wonderful to see such beautiful places and we love the water scenes!

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  37. Beautiful series of nature photos ~ gorgeous country where you are ^_^

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores

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  38. Wow..beautiful area...the only way I could make 5 miles is if someone grabbed me by the hair and dragged me.. The summer heat is no friend to my stamina... ...

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