Did you know that the Lake District National Park is 885 square miles? Needless to say, there is much to explore and three weeks is not nearly enough time to see everything. Today, the group explored a new part of the Lake District: the towns of Coniston and Hawkshead.
The group left early, a little before eight to walk along Loughrigg Fell and around Rydal Water to get to Ambleside. Dr. Bob gave us the option of taking a bus there, but we all decided to walk. When we take group trips, the eight of us tend to band together rather than separate. It was also our last group trip, which is hard to believe.
So we ambled to Ambleside, met up with Dr. Bob and took a 505 bus to Coniston. The bus dropped us off near the town centre and we walked about a half mile to Coniston Water. It was another beautiful day and the reflection off the lake was crystal clear. In reading some William Wordsworth, this crystal clear and sharp reflection these lakes have set themselves apart from other bodies of water. It is a beautiful sight to see.
Around 11AM, we hopped onto a steam yacht gondola. You can either ride on it for 45 minutes and see various aspects of Coniston Waters or you can do what we did, which was get off at Brantwood and then catch the gondola back to shore. I sat next to a very nice couple who lived south of Coniston. They had received this gondola ride as a present and decided to make it part of a day trip. I explained to them why we were here and that we were from Iowa. They currently have a daughter in Pennsylvania who they will be visiting in a few weeks time. We had a lovely conversation about the Lake District and ourselves as we cruised on the water. I was kind of sad to dock at Brantwood and end my conversation with this couple.
But boy, was I in for a treat. Brantwood is the name of the house that John Ruskin lived in. Who is John Ruskin you might ask? That's an excellent question and you'll have to stay tuned for my next blog post where I explain him and his house. Because it was so awesome. Not only does the house have a beautiful location, but the things that Ruskin believed in and promoted where inspiring. He and William Wordsworth had many similar ideas about Nature and beauty but there was something about Ruskin that really spoke to me. We did not have nearly enough time to explore the house. I ended up buying two books, one on the house and one about Ruskin's opinion on genius (a topic which I heavily discussed and defined in both my History of Literature class and Literary Analysis class). After dinner I will be pouring through these books so that I can write a post that gives a brief but substantial view on Brantwood and Ruskin.
The eight of us boarded the gondola once again, saw the second half of Coniston Water, and then ate lunch on the shore. By that time, it was around 1 PM and we had just about an hour until another 505 bus would show up to take us to Hawkshead. As we were meandering back to the village centre, we came across a fudge shop, made locally for the past eight years. It was a small shop but somehow the eight of us, backpacks and all managed to squeeze ourselves in. The man who makes the fudge was very friendly, offering each one of us a sample. It was delicious and several of us purchased some of the fudge. We left the shop, happy campers.
Our bus took us to Hawkshead next, the home of the school that William Wordsworth attended when he was a boy. Some of the original desks are still in the schoolhouse, even one carved with what appears to be William Wordsworth. The man in charge claimed it was actually John Wordsworth, the brother of William but it didn't really matter to me. William sat there regardless. The school had a nice set up, displaying their history along with several primary documents, like the official charter Queen Elizabeth had approved and signed, a truck where the Bible and important documents were kept, and books in their library such as Alexander Pope's Rape of the Lock and Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Another 505 bus rolled around and the eight of us hopped on for Ambleside. While most of the group was tired and wanted to get back to Grasmere as quickly as possible, the Trailblazing Trio decided to walk back. It was a nice walk and I snapped a few photos.
Rydal Water (above and below)
We got home and soon it will be time for dinner. Stay tuned for more information on Brantwood, John Ruskin, the Wordsworth sibling duo and more!
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