Mosaic Monday #55: An Autumn Amble

Derwent Water

A trip to the UK is not complete until we have visited the Lake District.  Also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, it is a mountainous region in Northwest England.  A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains, and its associations with William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.  The Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and covers an area of 2,362 square kilometers.  It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.  You can read other posts about the Lakes here, here and here.

Ladies' Wellingtons ("wellies")

This time, our day out commenced with a stop at the Mainsgill Farm Shop, a scant 30 minutes from my in-laws' house.  The number of farm shops in the UK has exploded since the mid-1970s, when farms began to expand from a simple stall at the farm gate to a formal shop on site.  It is estimated there are 3,500 farm shops nationwide, up from 1,200 a dozen years ago.  Many of these operations have become tourist attractions in their own right, with play barns, petting zoos and full-service cafes.  While on-site family attractions can be a significant draw, the core principle of quality home-produced food remains the key to success for these farms.

"We are a livestock farm producing our own meats and bakery produce"

Left and middle - so many beautiful tins

Upper right - kids' wellies      Lower right - chocolate Santa!

Top - look closely at the 'sausage mummies' and the 'spooky beef pumpkins'

Middle - we might not be in Montana, but the ski lodge followed us here

Bottom - I resisted the urge to buy the hedgehog notebook and the mead!

If you'd like to learn more, this link is an excellent article about the evolution of farm shops in the UK.

We parked near Ashness Bridge, one of the most photographed bridges in the Lake District, with a plan to walk to Watendlath.  This small hamlet nestles against Watendlath Tarn and offers a lovely tea shop to break up the walk.

Click to enlarge if you want to read the fine print

Quickly, we reached a view point overlooking Derwent Water, and it brought back memories of the hike to Cat Bells with my sister and her husband in the summer of 2017.  Cat Bells is the summit that you see through this frame of trees - how fun to think that 15 months ago we were on the hillside on the other side of this lake!

After climbing a bit more through the wood, the path emerges next to a stream, crossed by this lovely wooden bridge.  From that point, the stream was always on our left, and the land stretched away into farm fields until it abruptly rose to dramatic craggy outcroppings.  The photo opportunities were endless, but I will restrain myself and give you just the best of the views that day.

A waterfall marks the transition from the path to the hamlet of Watendlath, and you traverse another packhorse bridge to reach the tea shop.  The weather was kind enough to permit outdoor seating, and birds flitted among the tables, cleaning up the wayward crumbs.

After our break, we utilized the free (!) public restrooms.  A sign on the outside wall contained some deeply surprising information - Watendlath used to be owned by the monks of Fountains Abbey!  One of the largest and best preserved Cistercian monasteries in England, Fountains Abbey is another one of our treasured spots, and I wrote about our last visit there in June 2017.  So I was charmed to find that the two are connected, especially considering that Watendlath is 100 miles from the Abbey.  The monks of that day had a long reach!

As we left the hamlet to walk back to the car, I paused to capture the packhorse bridge, and just then a couple passed over it.  With typical British humor, the male half of the couple posed for a picture.  What a character!

Near the car park, the Bark House stands with a fine view of Ashness Bridge and Derwent Water beyond.  In 1989, Spousal Unit stayed here with his scout group.  Can you imagine 19 young men in this small hut?

It is called the Bark House because it was used to store bark for the leather industry

The sun was drifting toward the horizon as we motored to the nearest village, Keswick.  Fortune was in our favor - market day in the village had brought scores of vendors to the marketplace in the center of town.  I was delighted to spy a representative of the Bird of Prey Centre, with a feathered companion.  We gladly paid the fee to get my picture taken with Fuzz, a southern white-faced owl that was bred in captivity and serves as an adorable ambassador for his fellow raptors.

We made the most of the remaining light to stroll through the park to Derwent Water.  We have passed this way many times, from our dating days to summer holidays with the kids to our last visit in the summer of 2017 with my sister and her husband.  It brought back such pleasant memories of putt-putt golf, and feeding the ducks and geese.  The gardens were past their prime, but I still managed to compose some colorful shots.

In a fitting end to the day, we had dinner at the George and Dragon pub.

Given our visit to Wainwright country, it was entirely appropriate (although perhaps a coincidence) that the men were drinking Wainwright golden ale served in a Wainwright glass.  I wholeheartedly endorse the advice printed on the glass - "Find Your Mountain".

Due to travel, I may be late in commenting on your blog posts, but I will be on-line this week.  Hope you can join in!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
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Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

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The Final Chapter - Showing off a 'small island' - Part 11

I am misty-eyed at the moment.  It's those darn posts of mine that I just re-read.  It seemed like a good idea.  After all, I am about to wrap up the epic saga of the UK tour we enjoyed giving to my sister and her husband during the summer of 2017.  Surely, a look in the rearview mirror would get me in the right frame of mind for this final chapter?  What it got me was deep into the Kleenex box.  

Derwent Water viewed from Cat Bells trail

My adoration for northeast England is acute, and spending an hour gazing at sublime photos and reviewing narrative was a tad emotional.

Newlands Valley from Cat Bells

What did I see?  Countryside patched with ancient drystone walls.  Ruined abbeys slumbering peacefully in lush valleys.  Rivers and waterfalls that pursue their courses as they have through the millennia.  The glory of formal gardens, that existed only in the imagination of the designer hundreds of years of ago.  Historic churches, silent witnesses to the faithful housed in their floors and cemeteries.  Pubs that could tell many a tale.

And I realized that capturing the beauty of my adopted country has given me great joy, a joy I will grieve now that I write the final chapter of the travelogue.  (see previous posts about this trip to the UK - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10) .

Sheep under a massive oak tree

But I will postpone my moisture for a minute or two, so I can share our last adventure from that trip - a hike to Cat Bells Summit.








Any walker/hiker needs fuel for the journey, and it is wise to start the day with a full English at the bed and breakfast.

A traditional Full English breakfast includes back bacon, fried, poached or 

scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, fried bread or 

toast with butter, sausages, baked beans and black pudding.  (I did
without the black pudding!)

Fortified, our good fortune continued when we located a parking spot right at the trailhead, which is most unusual, given the popularity of this walk.

The "steep" bit

Renowned Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright acknowledges the reputation of Cat Bells among fellwalkers of all abilities:  "It is one of the great favorites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved.  Its popularity is well-deserved, its shapely topknot attracts the eye, offering a steep but obviously simple scramble."

Yes, we saw a mole along the way ...

High Seat as seen from Cat Bells

Newlands Valley from Cat Bells

I must say that I was very proud of my sister and brother in law when they conquered this fell.  Their fitness level had improved dramatically in the time leading up to their visit, owing to frequent walks around their neighborhood.  Cat Bells 'topped off' the UK hikes we completed during their stay.

Panorama shot from Cat Bells

Cat Bells Summit

And in more way than one - when we returned to our car, we discovered a special gift - a ticket!  Turns out that parking spot was actually on a double-yellow line.  Oops!

Linking to:

All Seasons

Mosaic Monday

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Sharon's Photo Souvenirs
Skywatch Friday
Wednesday Around the World