In England's green and pleasant land

---

We have spent the past few days walking the fells, enjoying the meres and tarns and admiring the ghyls, becks and forces. Yes, I thought I spoke English too! But all these are words used in the Lakes District to describe the beautiful natural features of this greenest corner of England's green and pleasant land. I'll include a glossary below.

We have had a wonderful few days in this area. We began each day with a hearty English breakfast - sometimes including kippers which we discovered we rather like. Then we took a long walk enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of the region. Buttermere, where we are staying, sits between two lakes, the eponymous Buttermere and Crummock Water. So we walked around them on a couple of days and on another day headed to Grasmere, where we explored Wordsworth's cottage, read poetry in his garden and then walked up the Brackenfell, with views over Grasmere and Windermere up to a gorgeous hilltop lake called Alcock Tarn. It has been cloudy and drizzly but we have managed to get long walks every day without getting wet and the landscape is magical, filled with woods, sheep wandering freely over the hills, wild flowers and the most delightful babbling brooks and waterways. I am constantly reminded of phrases of poetry and of stories I read as a child filled with English landscapes and fairy folk.

After our long walks we have been having luxuriant afternoon rests and then dinner in one of the local taverns. The best of these was the delightful Kirkside Inn which, despite being in the middle of nowhere, was buzzing with activity and atmosphere. It had a lovely log fire (summer in England!) and served excellent steaks.

We have tomorrow morning in the Lake District and intend to visit Castlerigg Stone Circle, a Stonehenge-style Bronze Age circle about 5000 years old. It will also be our last chance to admire the views before heading back to London tomorrow afternoon.

Glossary:

Fell= hill, mere= lake, tarn=Small lake at top of a fell, ghyl/beck = stream, force= waterfall.

---