A Visit to Lake District

Scene of sheep on the pasture

Way to Windermere

     I was told that most people in England would like to spend their holidays in the countryside enjoying country pleasures in stead of idling their time in busy cities crowded with malls and big restaurants. Of course there is a change in the attitude of modern youth who like more noise, crowded places, intoxicating luxuries and sophisticated city life styles. We planned to visit Wordsworth's famous residence "Dove Cottage" and  'Rydal Mount", both located in thebeautiful valley of Grassmere in the Lake District of Cumberland region. We have taken ourlodgings in the nearby town "Windermere" just ten miles before our destination. This town hasits own tourist attractions like rock climbing, cruising, fabulous gardens and woodlands.

Windermere Town

  We went by car through beautiful valleys surrounded by low-topped hills filled with dense 
growth of trees. An entire world of green with no human habitation is seen all along the way
here and there a small farm house nestled in the middle of sloping pastures where white
fluffy sheep were grazing to their belly's content without caring to look at us--so totally 
absorbed in their gastronomic orgies! The road before was so smooth that we had not felt 
any sense of tiredness at all during our long drive from Edinburgh in the hot afternoon heat.
In some places there were steep descending paths with curved bends. We drove through 
dense woods with small bridges here and there on mountain streams. The entrance to 
Windermere was through narrow paths flanked by plain stone-built houses without any
showy coat of plaster or whitewash. They looked quite rustic and simple in structure without
any beautification of color or design.The cluster of chimneys over tiled roofs seemed to be 
the common feature of every English home.In Windermere, obviously a tourist place in 
Lake District, most of the householders provide lodging and breakfast facilities to visitors.
This would fetch them a sizable income during summer and even up to October, the begin-
ning of autumn.  

 Our room was very compact with a low roof reminding me the room in upstairs at Statford-
upon-Avon.The difference is only in having modern comforts like gas, electricity and shower
Our host , a tall English gentleman in seventies, welcomed us with professional warmth and
assured us that all things were easily accessible in that town. He managed eight rooms 
attending to the needs of guests assisted now and then by his aged wife. We could not but
appreciate his diligent nature without showing any signs of vexation or boredom. He 
profusely thanked me when I gifted him a slender volume of my poems. He kept bundles of 
pamphlets on a book shelf to help the tourists with requisite information about the Lake District.

   












  Though Windermere is a small town, it has all facilities to help tourists. There are many res- taurants offering different varieties of meals like Italian, Chinese, Thai, Indian, English and the country type delicacies like Cornish pastries and Ginger bread. We enjoyed the river  cruise on the Windermere Lake, one of the largest lakes in England. As we sailed round, we  saw the distant mansions, small cottages and small boats moored near the bank. Some young couples were rowing with gusto and waving at others with vibrant mirth. Some people were  ready with fishing  rods and nets to go on with their sport of fishing in the waters.Some couples were enjoying their coffee while their children were shouting with innocent bliss, munching candies and sweets.


 

Beatrice Potter's Museum

Peter Rabbit

  In Windermere we also visited some shops where one could find books and tourist guides
providing a wealth of information on various lakes and neighbouring country houses. There
were two or three cine theaters showing not so much popular movies. The theaters without
much decoration almost looked like houses. Another place worth visiting is Beatrice Potter's
House. Beatrice Potter(1866-1943) was an eminent short story writer of children's stories 
 who became famous with her book"The Tale of Peter Rabbit Series"in 1902. She published
twenty-three books introducing many characters  like Peter Rabbit, squirrels, mice and other tiny creatures with bushy tails. As a fervent student of Natural history she tried to improve the methods  in breeding of Herdwick sheep of the Cumberland region. As a conservationist 
she donated four thousand acres of land in the Lake District to the National Trust. As we  
have not much time,we were not able to visit this museum. So I have not much to say except
that the pretty doll house is picturesque and amusing especially to children.

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     September 24, 2013.                                                             Somaseshu Gutala