Windermere

W, of course, has to bring us to Windermere, England’s largest lake, over eleven miles long and just less than a mile wide at its widest part. It’s what is called a ribbon lake, formed when two Ice Age glaciers melted. The moraine from the glaciers formed a barrier at the southern end of the valley which then filled with water.

The name is thought to originate from ‘Vinandr’s Mere’, from the old Norse name Vinandr and ‘mere’, the Norse word for lake. Until the 19th century, it was still known as Winander Mere.

The village of Windermere is about twenty minutes’ walk from the lake and only started to grow in the 19th century when a branch railway line was extended from near Kendal, much to the chagrin of Wordsworth who vehemently opposed the advent of the railway.

He even wrote a sonnet about it, concluding with:

Plead for thy peace, thou beautiful romance

Of nature; and, if human hearts be dead,

Speak, passing winds; ye torrents, with your strong

And constant voice, protest against the wrong.

Despite much opposition, the railway was built, and the village which started to grow up around the railway station was originally called Birthwaite, after a nearby farm, but then changed to Windermere. The station is still there, but the original station building is now a grocery store.

The only town which actually stands on the shores of Windermere is Bowness-on-Windermere, which is a mecca for tourists. Sadly, many people think they have been to ‘the Lakes’; when all they’ve been to is this over-commercialised and frequently over-crowded small town!

Boating, of course, is a popular sport on the lake. However, about 5 years ago, a speed limit of 12 m.p.h. was introduced, effectively ending power-boats and water ski-ing on the lake. The arguments in favour of this were based on environmental and safety grounds, the latter being supported by yacht owners. The opponents claimed there was no other lake in England available for power -boats and other ‘fast’ water sports. Also there has been a knock-on effect for local business, since the number of lake-users has dropped dramatically since the limit was introduced.

Windermere has a fleet of pleasure cruisers which ply the lake from one end to the other. Three of the original boats, the Tern (1891), Teal(1936) and Swan (1938) are still used, although their original steam engines have now been converted to diesel.

There is also a small car ferry which crosses the lake from east to west (and vice versa). We sometimes used this to reach Hawkshead, although it was always a toss-up between the queues waiting for the ferry and the traffic jams between Windermere and Ambleside in the tourist season. The ferry, operated by an underwater cable, carries 18 cars, and takes about ten minutes.

There has been a ferry service here for about 500 years. Originally it was simply a rowing boat, of course. One spooky story is about the ‘Crier of Claife’. Claife Heights is a small wooded hill on the west bank of Windermere. Evidently, on a stormy night in the fifteenth century, the ferryman heard a call from the west side of the lake and rowed across. He returned alone, terrified and unable to speak, and became so ill that he died a few days later. For years afterwards no ferryman would take the ferry out after dark and it was said that the eerie cry of 'Boat' was often heard during subsequent storms. The 'ghost' was supposedly exorcised by a monk from Furness Abbey but even today there are some who will not venture into Claife Woods at night.

Romantic Rydal

Rydal is a small village, a cluster of houses, church and hotel, mid-way between Ambleside and Grasmere.

Despite its apparent insignificance, it has important links to English Romance Literature. The Romantics favoured natural, emotional and personal themes in contrast to the Enlightenment Era which promoted science, reason and intellectual philosophy.

William Wordsworth, one of the main Romantic poets, lived at Rydal Mount from 1813 to 1850. He designed the garden there and he often said that the garden was as much his ‘office’ as the spacious ‘writing room’ in the house. On the high side of the garden, away from the main house, but overlooking both Windermere and Grasmere, he built a small hut equipped with just a small bench. He spent most of his writing time here. The house has remained in the possession of the Wordsworth family until the present day, and has been open to the public since 1970.

Dr. Thomas Arnold, the famous innovative headmaster of Rugby School, had a summer house at Fox Howe, and his son, the poet Matthew Arnold, was a frequent visitor and also a friend of Wordsworth.

Nab Cottage, on the shores of Rydal Water, once belonged to the poets Thomas de Quincey and Hartley Coleridge, again both friends of Wordsworth. It is now a guest house.

Rydal Hall is an imposing building, dating back to the late 16th century, with extensive renovations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson in 1911 and are a perfect example of Edwardian style, with Italianate terracing, herbaceous border and lawns, together with informal woodland gardens and a summerhouse overlooking the Rydal Falls. The Hall now belongs to Carlisle Diocese and is used as a Christian retreat.

St Mary’s Church at Rydal was built by the Fleming family who owned Rydal Hall. Wordsworth and his family, and also the Arnold family, all worshipped here and their pews are now marked by plaques. In 1847, after his daughter Dora died, Wordsworth bought the field between the church and his home at Rydal Mount and dedicated it to her. He and his wife planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs here, and ‘Dora’s Field’, as it is still known, looks beautiful at this time of year.

Rydal Water, a small lake near the village, only about a kilometre long, is owned partly by the National Trust and partly by Rydal Hall. On its southern side are Rydal Caves, part of a disused slate mine. Inside one of the caves is a small lake, complete with goldfish which were placed here years ago and whose descendants still survive.

Interesting Islands

Several of the Lakeland lakes have islands. As I’m concentrating on the southern half of the area, here’s a brief look at the islands in Windermere, Grasmere and Coniston Water.

Windermere is the largest lake, about ten miles long, and it has eighteen islands. The largest of these is Belle Isle which is about two-thirds of a mile long. It was originally known as Long Holme and it’s said that the governor of the Roman fort at Ambleside had a villa on the island. In the 18th century, the wealthy Curwen family bought the island and it was re-named Belle Isle after their daughter Isabella. In 1774, they built ‘Belle Island House’, which was unusual as it was a circular shape, with 3 floors and a portico with 4 pillars. Wordsworth was pretty disparaging about it, saying it looked like a tea canister in a shop window! Isabella’s descendants lived on the island until 1993, and it is still privately owned.

The other islands on Windermere are much smaller, and are all called ‘holme’ from the Norse word ‘holm’ (meaning island). Maiden Holme is the smallest, consisting of a single tree!

Grasmere has only one lake, known simply (and fairly unimaginatively) as ‘The Island’. Evidently Wordsworth used to row across to this island and one of his sonnets is about the tranquillity he found here.

The largest island on Coniston Water is Peel Island, which is owned by the National Trust. This is thought to be the fictional Wild Cat Island where the children camped in the Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome. This photo shows their 'secret harbour'. The other two Coniston islands are Oak Island and Fir Island, although the latter only deserves the name island when the water is very high and cuts it off from the shore.

Hawkshead - my Home from Home

 I shall have to exercise severe restraint with this post, since this village is my favourite of all the Lake District villages. It’s also the one I know best so I could write reams about it. My parents bought a caravan on a farm on the outskirts of the village in the 1960’s, and I used to go up there regularly for over 30 years.

Thought you might like to see this photo of my new caravan going on site in the 80’s. As you can imagine, I was holding my breath and hoping it wouldn’t go too far and crash over the 10 foot drop into the rocky stream under the trees!

In the 60's, one could still drive into the centre of the village, and usually find a parking spot in the main square. The shops were traditional local shops, post office, newsagent. grocery, even a Co-op store. Over the years, that all changed in response to the needs (demands?) of tourists. The narrow streets couldn’t cope with the increasing traffic, so a bypass was built, and also a large car park on the edge of the village. More and more shops opened, again to cater to the tourists – souvenir shops and clothing stores. By the 90’s the village had become a tourist mecca, with buses dropping them off in droves and cars fighting for a place in the car park.

The centre of the village has, however, remained unchanged (apart from the crowds!). It’s very picturesque (hence its popularity) with whitewashed houses, small courtyards and squares, archways and alleyways, and cobbled streets.

The church, on its hill overlooking the village, was first built in about 1300 and later enlarged. William Wordsworth described it as  “the snow-white lady” as its walls used to be whitewashed. Inside, it still has the wall paintings of Bible texts, dating from the 17th century.

Just below the church is the old Grammar School founded in the 16th century by the son of a local family, Edwin Sandys, who became Archbishop of York. Wordsworth attended this school which is now a museum and his name can be seen carved into one of the desks.

The cottage where he lodged while at school is still there, as is the aptly named ‘Pillar House’ with its outside staircase. Fancy having to go outside and up the stairs to go to bed when it was freezing cold or pouring with rain!

One narrow street, now known as Wordsworth Street, was once called Leather, Rag and Putty Street, indicating the occupations of the tradespeople who once lived there.

The village was granted a market charter in 1608 and the 17th century Market Hall still dominates one side of the market square. The arched windows on the ground floor used to be open arches, known as Shambles, where butchers would come to sell meat products on market day.

I’ve seen Hawkshead in all seasons and all weathers, and although I don’t get up there very often these days, it still holds a special place in my heart, as well as many happy memories. It's one of the reasons I set my romance novel 'Fragrance of Violets' in a small Lakeland village which, although 'imaginary', DOES resemble Hawkshead in some aspects!

Grasmere and Gingerbread

Grasmere is a village in the heart of the Lake District, lying to the north of the lake which shares its name.

Its most famous literary connection is the poet William Wordsworth, who lived here from 1799 to 1808, first with his sister Dorothy and then with his wife Mary. His home, Dove Cottage, used to be an inn called the Dove and Olive, and many of its features date from this time – white-washed walls, flagstone floors and dark wood panelling. Today it is open to the public and attracts about 70,000 visitors each year, who can see some of the original furniture, and family possessions and portraits.

Wordsworth and his wife Mary are both buried in Grasmere churchyard.

In August the Grasmere Sports are held in the village, an event which dates back to 1852. Events include local traditional sports such as Cumberland wrestling, fell running and hound trailing. Another popular event is the Rushbearing Ceremony, a reminder of the days before the church floor was flagged, and new rushes had to laid on the floor. I'll tell you more about these events in a later post.

Overlooking the village, on the south side of Dunmail Raise (the high pass linking the southern Lakes with the northern area) is a small mountain known officially as Helm Crag, but often referred to as ‘The Lion and the Lamb’ because of two outcrops of rock on its summit. Can you see them?

Grasmere is also famous for its gingerbread, which was originally made by Sarah Nelson, who in the early 19th century became a proficient cook in the homes of the local gentry. About 1850 she and her husband bought a small cottage in one corner of the churchyard, and Sarah made gingerbread to sell to both local people and to visitors.

The same cottage is now a shop which still sells the genuine Grasmere Gingerbread (and it’s delicious!). The original recipe is a secret and is now kept in a bank vault.

The English Lake District

Thanks to Sylvia Ney for this 'Smart Cookie' award.  I've never thought of myself as 'smart cookie' before LOL

Rules for recipients:

1) Thank and provide a link to the persona who awarded you.

2) Share 4 interesting or little known facts about anything.

3) Pass the award on to other "smart cookies".

Okay, so for my 4 interesting facts, I'll give you four facts about the English Lake District, since my recently released romance 'Fragrance of Violets' is set there.

1. The poet William Wordsworth is buried in Grasmere Churchyard.  Probably his most famous poem is 'Daffodils'

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high, o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw crowd,

A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

2. Wordsworth attended this school in the village of Hawkshead, from 1778 to 1787. The school was founded in 1585, but the present building dates from 1675, and it remained as a school until 1909.



Like many schoolboys, he even carved his name on one of the desks (now preserved in a special frame)

3. St Michael and All Angels Church in Hawkshead is on a small hill
overlooking the village.

Wordsworth wrote about it in one of his poems:

I saw the snow-white church upon her hill
Sit like a throned lady sending out
A gracious look over all her domain.

At the time he was at school in Hawkshead, the 12th century church was whitewashed, hence the 'snow-white church'.

4. Near to the village Hawkshead is the small hamlet of Near Sawrey, where the children's writer Beatrix Potter lived.  She bought a 17th century stone house, called Hill Top, in 1905, and lived there for several years. Many of her characters, such as Tom Kitten and Jemima Puddleduck, were created here, and her books contain pictures which show the house and garden.



Now to award some other 'Smart Cookies' - doesn't say how many, so any blogger from The Writers' Post blog group is welcome to pick up this award, since you're all 'smart cookies'!