A Woman's Reflection on Travel: UK, The Lake District, where Beatrix Potter (who wrote Peter Rabbit) had a home, August, 2015

UK, The Lake District, where Beatrix Potter (who wrote Peter Rabbit) had a home, August, 2015

So, off again on another adventure! I wanted to see the countryside of England so this year I visited The Cotswolds, Bath and The Lake District.

This is a view from right outside of my hotel.

Isn't The Lake District a beautiful area?

The Lake District is a beautiful area in kind of the northwestern part of England. People from London love to come here on holiday because it is very green, with rolling hills, lots of trees and lakes. There are little villages and sheep grazing in the fields. Beatrix Potter helped to preserve this area so that it was overly developed into housing projects.

The first and foremost place I wanted to visit here was Beatrix Potter's home/farm called "Hill Top". It is a charming little stone home built in, I believe the 1800's consisting of several small rooms - maybe 2 bedrooms if I remember correctly.

She built an adjoining home for the farmer

and his family to work the farm.

She had a beautiful garden and she raised sheep.

I think she also had chickens.

Beatrix grew up in London with money and a social climbing mother who felt that it was beneath Beatrix to socialize with publishers who she considered to be of a lower class. It least that is what the movie portrayed. Beatrix became rich on her own accord writing her numerous children's books so she started by purchasing "Hill Top" farm and later purchased 2,000 acres of other farms to preserve this beautiful area. When she died she willed this land to The National Trust which preserves such areas as well as historical buildings. There is a movie called "Miss Potter" starring Rene Zellwegger and Ian McGowan about Beatrix Potters life.

I took the ferry across the river to get to "Hill Top" farm. I was so charmed with the whole experience that I bought one of Beatrix's books about a puddle duck and they give you a sticker to put in the book to let the readers know that this book was purchased at the original location of its creation. I also bought a Peter Rabbit for my niece's baby boy!

Across the river I also visited a town called Grasmere where William Wadsworth lived and wrote. They created a special garden in his honor as he wrote about daffodils so they made a garden of it.

Also in Grasmere they had gingerbread that has been created on this location for many generations! I bought some. It was not quite the gingerbread that I had expected but it was nonetheless, delicious. I also loved the history of the building and of the gingerbread recipe which has been passed done for many, many generations!

I also visited the village of Ambleside, in Cumbria where I had lunch. Take a look at the size of these desserts! It's hard to tell from the window but they are about 2" larger around than a dinner plate! I was too full from my lunch of sliders to try some but others said that the cakes were light and delicious.

I was lucky that the first day there was sunny and warm. The second day, however, was rainy so I spent a portion of my day inside watching the rain rather than being in it. I asked which month was the best time to visit and I was told, probably June but The Lake District had unpredictable weather and rain could come at any time.