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The Lake District was full of rolling green hills, crooked stone walls, quaint whitewashed farmhouses, winding lanes lined with overgrown hedges, and...well, lakes of course. In short, it was the England I had always imagined whilst reading 'The Faraway Tree' series, Winnie the Pooh, Famous Five, and Charlotte's Web. It is also Beatrix Potter country, and her home 'Hill Top' was only a short distance from our B & B in peaceful 'Far Sawrey'.
I was charmed by the idyllic scenery as our little car wound its way along the country roads towards Far Sawrey. Dale was less impressed, grumbling about the narrow roadway every time he had to squeeze us past another oncoming vehicle. At one point we were forced to a standstill, when we came across a herd of cows plodding towards us. The large animals moved by us, nonplused by our presence, and we continued on our way. However, when we reached the cute town of Ambleside we were slowed by a herd of a different kind - tourists! It was a relief to arrive at our quiet farmlet b & b.
The sun was shining as we walked to the nearby village pub - The cuckoo brow - for a drink in the garden. A lovely country pub with a real family atmosphere, we sat soaking up the much-missed sunshine, as children ran about the grass and crawled under tables. It was so pleasant that we stayed to order dinner. Posh pub fare - grilled hake and new potatoes for me, and crispy skinned pork belly for Dale.
The largest town near us was Bowness-on-Windermere, which we could see across the lake from where we were staying. After yet another cooked breakfast, we set off in the opposite direction to Bowness to check out Beatrix Potter's house. The pretty cottage looks over a veggie garden clearly recognisable as Mr McGregor's! Inside, the house has been set up much as it would have been when Miss Potter lived here. Upon entering the house we found ourselves in a dimly lit but cosy sitting room with a small fire crackling in the grate, a kitchen table in the middle of the room and a kettle ready to be hung over the fire. The second front room was a formal sitting room decorated with the best furniture and furnishings and another fireplace. Upstairs were two small bedrooms and a larger one with a small canopied bed. In each room was one of Beatrix Potter's books open to a page relevant to the surrounds. So in the room with a dollhouse with a table laid with miniature food was 'the tale of two bad mice'. Back outside, we walked through the gardens admiring the countryside beyond the walls and stopping to look at the bunny rabbits hopping about the nearest paddock.
After our Beatrix Potter experience we parked the car back at our accommodation and walked down to the ferry. The walk only took around 15 minutes along the scenic public footpath. I was on the lookout for red squirrels, but they remained elusive. Along the walkway grew blackberries which Dale the-poison-police Benic wouldn't let me taste!
The ferry cost only 50p each and took us across to Bowness in about 10 minutes. We joined the hordes of others walking along the lakefront. As we neared the town centre the rain began to fall, although the British didn't seem to notice until it worsened into a steady downpour, and then they all produced umbrellas in unison, and carried on their dog walking, picnicking and miniature golfing! We didn't have umbrellas, so we pulled our hoods up, quickened our pace, and began looking for somewhere to shelter from the rain with a cup of tea.
The town itself was really pretty, with lots of smart looking shop frontages, attractive tea rooms, and a pub or two with blackboards advertising their Sunday roasts. We found a cuppa in an Italian run cafe until the rain let up and then I headed out to look in some of the lovely shops, followed by Dale who was more interested in looking at the expensive cars driving by. As the rain came down once more we decided we'd had enough of this soggy summer's Sunday. Armed with the Sunday paper and sandwiches, we returned bedraggled to our b & b.
In the evening we returned to our local pub for a roast dinner and a drink. Inside the cosy pub we had a drink at the bar while we waited for a table to become available. All around us there was the buzz of conversation as families and friends sat around tables with elegant candlesticks in the middle and large windows behind, looking out to the countryside. It was a lovely atmosphere to sit and enjoy roast beef (for me) and a burger (for Dale!) Afterwards we walked up the hill towards our b & b as the last rays of sunlight pinkened the skies in the west. Looking down the undulating farmland below we noticed a blanket of mist rising up the valley. It was a beautiful sight to end a picturesque couple of days.
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