England Travel Diary Day 7: Lake District Part I

2004-06-08 England Travel Diary Day 7: Lake District Part I

From today, the England trip entered three straight days of Lake District travel. The previous days had mostly moved between cities, castles, and towns. In the Lake District, the rhythm changed: start with a filling B&B breakfast, then keep moving through lakes, hillsides, forests, and small towns whose names did not always stay in memory.

This is not really a complete "where to go" guide. The only place name I could still clearly remember later was the first stop, Ambleside @.@'". But maybe that is exactly why the photos still feel like the Lake District: breakfast, lakeside houses, views from the road, a small stone circle, and a surprise goose-feeding session near dusk.

Starting three Lake District days with a B&B breakfast

Before officially beginning the three-day Lake District route, the first order of business was breakfast. The B&B served a very proper, very filling English breakfast. It gave us enough energy to face a full day on the road ^.^

A full English breakfast served at the B&B. — The B&B served a generous English breakfast before the day began.

We stayed at the same B&B for these few days. That kind of fixed base matters when traveling: no need to move luggage every morning, just go out during the day and come back at night. It felt more like staying in the Lake District for a few days, instead of constantly chasing the next place.

Exterior view of the B&B used as the base for the Lake District trip. — The B&B where we stayed during these Lake District days.

Another exterior view of the B&B building. — Another look at the B&B before heading out for the day.

After breakfast, off we went~~

Ambleside: the first stop, and the only name that stayed

The first stop was Ambleside. This was the only place name I could still remember later (in 2010) @.@'"

That tells us why people always try to be first... after all, can you remember who was the second person to land on the moon??

(I seem to have wandered off topic... hehe...)

Since I had already wandered off, I might as well write a little more. The second person to land on the moon was Buzz Aldrin. I did not really know who he was, but I once read that someone asked him, "As the second person to land on the moon, did you feel regret?" His answer was, "No regret... after all, I was the first person to land on Earth from outer space~~ hahaha~~"

That kind of positive thinking stayed in my mind after reading it ^.^

Okay~~ back to Earth. England. Lake District. Ambleside....

Lake District scenery around Ambleside. — Back to Earth: England, Lake District, Ambleside.

My first impression of Ambleside was lake, houses, slopes, and a wide open sky. I did not leave many words for this stop, but the photos say it clearly: we had really moved from city travel into the Lake District.

A lakeside scene around Ambleside with houses and hills. — Ambleside left an impression of lake, houses, slopes, and open sky.

Water, hillside, and lakeside buildings around Ambleside. — Another lakeside view from the first stop in Ambleside.

There was a house facing the lake, the kind of place that seemed to put everyday life directly beside the water. Being able to live there would be very tempting~~

A lakeside house facing the water in the Lake District. — A house facing the lake, exactly the kind of place that makes you want to stay longer.

Could not stay in that house? No need to feel too bad. At the time, I remembered that there was also a well-known YMCA nearby by the lake, where you could apparently run straight from the door into the water. That was only my travel impression from 2004, so anyone planning a current trip should check official and up-to-date information.

On the road: the Lake District was not only lakes

After leaving the first stop, the rest of the day felt like moving through the Lake District itself. Many photos did not keep precise place names, but they show the variety well: one stretch by the lake, one stretch through rolling hills, then a turn into forest or another small town.

Roadside Lake District scenery seen while traveling between stops. — On the way to the next stop.

A Lake District road scene with open countryside. — The route kept changing between lakes, hills, and small towns.

We stopped for lunch in a small town. Some travel stops do not become clear landmark memories, but they still become part of the day's rhythm: drive for a while, stop, eat something, then move on.

Street view of a small town used as a lunch stop. — A small town where we stopped for lunch.

A small-town street and buildings in the Lake District. — A quiet view from the lunch stop before continuing the route.

A small stone circle, and the inevitable joke

There was also a locally known "stone circle" in the Lake District. It was not massive like Stonehenge. Instead, it was a ring of stones scattered across the grass, more charming than overwhelming.

A stone circle set in grass in the Lake District. — The Lake District's small stone circle.

Stones arranged in a circle on a grassy field. — The stone circle felt more charming than overwhelming.

A closer view of stones in the Lake District stone circle. — Another angle of the small stone circle.

Maybe because it was too small... it was not called Stonehenge, but Stone Circle.... (runs away~~)

A wider view of the small stone circle on the grass. — Maybe it was too small to be called Stonehenge... so it was Stone Circle.

Hills, lakes, and forest, changing scene by scene

After that came more road photos. What is worth keeping here is not a single major landmark, but how quickly the Lake District changes its scenery.

Lake District scenery photographed from the road. — A quick photo from the road.

What makes this area distinctive is the variety of its terrain: not only hills and lakes, but also forest ^.^

Green Lake District landscape with trees and hills. — The Lake District kept shifting between hills, water, and forest.

A Lake District landscape view seen during the drive. — The road photos together brought back the feeling of moving through the landscape.

Some travel photos later look like "just passing by." But when they are placed together, they bring back how that day kept moving through the landscape. Not every stop had a story, but every stretch of road slowly carried the day toward evening.

The last stop near dusk: birds can be fed like dogs

Near dusk, we arrived at the last stop of the day. Someone there was feeding geese with bread. When he saw us come over, he kindly shared some bread and let me try ^.^

A person feeding geese near the water in the evening. — At the last stop, someone kindly shared bread so I could try feeding the geese.

Then I discovered... birds can be fed just like dogs @.@'"

A goose reacting to bread being tossed into the air. — It turned out birds could be fed just like dogs.

A small piece of bread flying through the air above the geese. — The black dot in the photo was the bread, not a mark on the screen.

(Do not understand?? Please wipe your screen first... the black dot near the top of the photo is the bread thrown into the air... not a dead pixel...)

It was a fitting ending for Day 7 Part I. The day began with breakfast, moved through lakesides, small towns, a stone circle, and forest, then ended with a person feeding geese and a piece of bread flying through the air. It was dark... tomorrow, we fight again~~