Friday 1 November 2013

I Love Buttermere

Saturday last William and I returned from our last stay of 2013 in our little holiday home on wheels.  One of the places I’d particularly wanted to visit this year was Buttermere in The Lakes.  We have been a couple of times over the years and marvelled at its beauty but we were well and truly overdue for another visit.  Checking the weather forecast for the week showed that Thursday was going to be our best day and it was. Not a completely cloudless sky but there was no rain and that was what we wanted.

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Midmorning we set off along roads pleasantly free from too much traffic.  This roadside lay-by was full of empty cars.  I can guarantee every person who had parked there was now out walking through this beautiful countryside.

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And that was our intention too.  First we had lunch sat outside a busy cafe.  Feathered friends watched and waited for leftovers to come their way.

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St. James Church in Buttermere.  William Wordsworth said ‘A man must be very unsensible who would not be touched at the sight of the chapel of Buttermere’.  

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It’s not just the land I love, I love the old buildings too.  Strong, sturdy and full of character.

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I do love the land though.  Look at it, it’s magnificent!

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And so, fed and watered we set off to circumnavigate the lake.

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Plenty of woolly wanderers along the way.

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Lots of them in this neck of the woods.

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The water now in sight and here began 4.5 miles of fun.

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The path is rugged to say the least but it didn’t deter this elderly couple.  She needed her walking stick and to lean on the arm of her husband.  I bet they’ve been walking terrain like this for years and their advancing years were not going to stop them now.

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Dry stone walls don’t make comfy seats but this one came in handy for William to take a breather on while I took a few photos.

 

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Don’t you just love this scenery?

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We had to pass through this farm to follow the footpath along the bottom edge of the lake.

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Then up the western side.

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I was in my element.  Fresh air, fantastic scenery and not a drop of rain. 

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It took a good two hours to walk round the lake and at the end of it it felt good to take our boots off, put our regular shoes back on and let our feet and legs rest.  After all we’re not as young as we used to be you know!

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One last sheep picture before I go.  A happy little sheep he was too.

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As daylight faded and twilight fell we made our way home over narrow little country roads.  I was glad we had a full tank of petrol and a reliable car.  I would not like to have been stranded in the dark on these roads at all!

Close to home and hungry again we stopped at the little chippy in Milnthorpe and bought our supper.  It was the best chippy supper we’d had for a long time too.

Yep, I definitely love Buttermere and that’s the truth.

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3 comments:

Tammy said...

Oh wow! All I can say is absolutely, incredibly gorgeous! The shading on the hills is just so beautiful. I would love to be there walking around, breathing fresh air and snapping photos. Those are some very lucky sheep roaming that land. I walk around here and see all the garbage and it just disgusts me that no one cares about their environment. So nice to see such a beautiful side of the world. Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Tammy

Anita Johnson said...

This is almost like a fairy tale landscape. Beautiful pictures, I have a fondness for sheep!

Anonymous said...

Well,Kathleen you have done it again! You have posted pictures of the the most glorious scenery imaginable. I would have enjoyed it too, but it might have taken quite a bit longer than two hours if you had had Jerry and me along with you. I do feel like I am along for the ride or the walk though when I read the dialogue with your beautiful photography. Yep. I have had a nice walk around Buttermere today.Love Maureen xx