Keswick, Friar's Crag

In the early stages of trip planning, we decided we didn't want the stress of driving a rental car in Great Britain. We assumed, somewhat naively, that we would be able to get around the country by rail as easily as we traversed Japan using JR. I don't regret our decision, but I will say that using British Rail was challenging at times.

British Rail is actually a conglomeration of at least 32 different companies. Prices vary widely depending on the day of the week, time of day. and also how far in advance you are buying tickets. In addition, there are several types of reduced fare passes for tourists. I assigned the task of figuring it all out to Walt.

While he was occupied with that, I planned our itinerary. The Lake District sounded like a place we would enjoy. Almost 912 square miles of the area was designated as a national park in 1951, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are quite a few villages and towns within the park boundaries so it might not seem much like a park, but there are also plenty of mountains, valleys, lakes, and, of course, many, many sheep grazing in the fields. Best of all, for people who are reluctant to drive on the unaccustomed side of the road, a bus system connects various points of interest in the area.

I chose Keswick (pronounced Kesick by the locals) as our base because I read that it is situated on the most beautiful lake in the park. To get there we had to take the train from London to Penrith and then catch a bus.

As we cruised past the fields and the gently rolling hills I knew that we would like it here.

After arriving at the Keswick bus terminal, we dragged our suitcases across town to our charming bed and breakfast.

The picture on the left below is where we stayed. It was a beautiful old house made of slate, as many of the buildings in town were. Our room was only slightly larger than our bed, but there was an ornate sitting room next to it which we were able to use whenever we liked. The sitting room was available to all the guests in the house, but no one ever joined us there so we spread out with our computers and made ourselves at home.

After we settled in, we decided to take a walk down to the lake which is called Derwentwater.

The path runs beside the lovely manicured flower beds of Hope Park which is situated between the town and the lake. Beyond it is a large field where sheep graze.

We finally arrived at the lake.

Friar's Crag was one of John Ruskin's favorite places, and there is a memorial to him beside the path. It says,

"The first thing which I remember as an event in life was being taken by my nurse to the brow of Friar's Crag on Derwentwater."

This is the place he loved so much.

It was time to head back to town and find some dinner. As we passed the field where the sheep grazed, a dog ran through a flock of geese, and they took to the air.