Quintessential England

Derwentwater by Keswick in the Lake District, with ducks.
In other words, if you stand up you are likely to fall in the water!

Each year our chemistry teacher lead a party of pupils from our school in Sussex on a walking tour in the Lake District. We traveled by train, the last part, from Kendel to Windermere being by steam. The South Downs were the highest I’d ever been above sea level, until I came to The Lakes, when I was thirteen.

My first sight of the high fells, as we traveled by coach from Windermere to our Youth Hostel in Grasmere, remain with me now. It was love at first sight. Nothing in this world has ever matched the lakeland fells. I remain forever loyal.

Interestingly I cannot remember ever going out in one of the rowing boats pictured here. I understand they cost, at one time, five shillings for a day!

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4 thoughts on “Quintessential England”

  1. Amazing how little this scene changes, I mean – not just the ‘timeless’ fells in the background but EVERYTHING. I’m sure that even that duck is the same one I used to feed back in the 1960’s when we used to play “Swallows and Amazons” style stuff on Derwentwater. The boats are certainly the same but I guess the prices have changed a bit …

    Actually I have some photos of this Friar’s Crag area that my grandad took in the 1920’s and t STILL looks the same in those too!

    I sometimes come across minor ‘onsen’ spa resorts here in Japan that have ‘seen better days’ and they often remind me strongly of Keswick but with more trees

  2. As with Iain, I agree, lttle has changed in the Lakes, perhaps the volume of traffic.
    And like you, Rev. Mugo my first encounter with the Lakes was in my early teenage years. It has been something of an ongoing love affair since.
    I am fortunate living in Lancaster, Windermere is only a short train ride away.

  3. Thanks to Iain and to Norman. I wonder if any of us are still game to climb Great Gable. Perhaps on a sunny day with the wind behind us.

  4. I first fell in love with the lake district on a school trip when I was 12 and return often. I too have pictures to match those of lake Derwent and recall being in a boat with my brother with him urging us to sit down so that we did not tip over! In Scotland last week it came to me that what we call nature (landscape) appears to us very charitable; it sits and reflects back what we seem to need to see without judgement. I should try to be so helpfull to others.
    Thanks for sharing Rev. Mugo

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