Friday, June 10, 2011

Sights worth seeing...............




There were so many beautiful places to see in the Lake District..............and we viewed just about all of them.  Sometimes taking quick photos from the window as we careened along lanes and country roads, over hills, fells, and hold-your-breath passes, down into the dales and valleys.................


......every which way was an adventure and with Paula, the world's best driver, behind the wheel, those of us armed with cameras never missed a photo op!




Rydal Mount, William Wordsworth's home for 37 years.  Perhaps the greatest of the Romantic poets, he took his inspiration from the glorious Lakeland scenery.  It was the profusion of daffodils growing wild on the shores of Ullswater (the lake where we stayed) which inspired his most famous poem Daffodils (1815) with that unforgettable first line........................."I wandered lonely as a cloud"



Rydal Mount, a family home, is still owned by Wordsworth's direct descendants.



Just a pretty cottage at the roadside.......


..........and another, with a gorgeous garden.




Elizabethan architecture in Bowness on Lake Windermere.


Chestnut trees were in full bloom everywhere - white and pink blossoms.


Historic churches tucked into the hillsides.......



.....and valleys.


More steep hills...................


...........bringing us down into scenic valleys with lakes and tarns.


Then back up onto the hilltops to view Roman ruins


....the guys especially loved this place.


Rob, Eric and Bob at Hardknott Roman Fort.......photo below is the view from the top........


....................the countryside, in showers and sunshine, was just awesome!

17 comments:

  1. Mary, what gorgeous photos!! I would love to visit there (right now!!) Can you tell it is Friday-LOL!

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  2. These photos are absolutely breathtaking... Gorgeous scenery.

    ciao from Newport Beach

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  3. What a gorgeous place....your photos capture it beautifully!

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  4. Your photos really captured the atmosphere there.....how beautiful this place is!!

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  5. How beautiful it is there! I love the flowers climbing up the sides of the homes...
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  6. Oh what a lovely post....thank you for taking us there! I read Dorothy Wordsworth's journals...and can imagine her and her famous brother tramping over those hills, even in the snow of wintertime, to visit their friend Coleridge. Amazing.

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  7. I love this post and all your beautiful pictures. Oh how I want to go back there. We went to Bowness while there, as we worked our way up to Scotland. Gorgeous countryside! Have you been to the 'bridge house'? Our kids, who were 11 and 13 at the time, found it facinating that a family lived in that one tiny room on a bridge! Have a wonderful weekend Mary!

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  8. How beautiful! And the handsome gents look as if they belong right there. A beautiful post. Stay safe on the narrow roads.

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  9. Hello Mary, I have enjoyed your holiday photographs. I went to Eskdale with the brownies to stay at the youth hostel. I was aged 10 years, we walked up the steep road to the Roman fort, if you saw the photograph of me I am not looking very pleased! You really did get to see lots of Cumbria and in good weather too.
    Tonight we have the most beautiful sunset and the hills look so beautiful. I guess the best thing to do in your heat is stay in the shade and drink something cool. Enjoy the lavender party, breathe in that beautiful scent. Enjoy your weekend. xx

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  10. Oh. These photographs are so familiar to me. Just a magical place, isn't it? Please tell me, why am I not living there??

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  11. Thank you for yet another beautiful post. I always SO enjoy your travel posts (well, all of your posts, actually) but this trip to your homeland is especially stunning. The Lake District is achingly beautiful and is high on my bucket list! Thank you, dear Mary, for sharing your trip with us. Hugs, Cathy

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  12. *sigh*
    Just beautiful. I could imagine myself in an old open car, rolling along up hill and down dale. Dreamy!

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  13. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos Mary!
    I would love to live in one of those cottages!
    So romantic!

    Pamela xo

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  14. Beautiful pictures Mary, so glad you finally got to go to Lake Country!

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  15. How beautiful and what lovely memories you and the others will share from this trip together. ~ Sarah

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  16. Mary, each scene is breathtakingly beautiful. I have so enjoyed all of your photos. Thank you for sharing with us.

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  17. Such gorgeous countryside! The church in the valley reminds me of the ones over in Germany surrounded by little towns. When Lori and I were over there staying with my aunt you could hear the bells ring every day. Charming!
    Take Care,
    Ulrike

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