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.

I would definitely want to come back here and spend more time. It was absolutely beautiful!

The Cotswolds, UK, August, 2015, Part 1

The Cotswolds, UK, August 2015, Part 1

So, I left London for the Cotswolds. I bought a book on the Cotswolds a long time ago and have dreamed of going there ever since.



Here is a list of the villages that I visited in the Cotswolds:

Honeybourne - where my train dropped me off
Wellisley - the Airbnb where I stayed with Mark and Zoe
Moreton-in-Marsh

This is the little café where I ate breakfast everyday at Mark and Zoe's place. I had an "English" breakfast which consisted of ham, sausage, eggs, broiled tomatoes, pork and beans, hash browns, tea and an english muffin (which, by the way) is "crumpets". When they say tea and crumpets, this is what they are referring to.

Here is their grocery store - the only one in the village of Wellisley. They have the grocery, café, b & b, local newspapers, toner cartridge refils and other assorted assistance for this community. And they do a great job!

 

 

Here is a marker honoring the military men who were lost in various wars. I have seen several of these in villages around the Cotswolds. This one is in Broadyway.

 

Broadway is the town where I spent my first afternoon and evening shopping, sightseeing and dining, about 3 miles from Wellisley.

Here is the incredible park they have for children just off the main street in Broadway. It had manywonderful ways for children to creatively exercise and beauty and space for families to be outside.






Here is the hotel with a restaurant where I had dinner in Broadway.

Stratford-on-Avon - Shakespear's birth place and where Anne Hathaway's House is. (William Shakespear's wife)

Here is Anne Hathaway's house - the wife of William Shakespear. There is a wonderful garden outside . . .

 

and lots of history inside.

Here is a bonnet and shoe that was found in the house. Back in those days, it was not uncommon to hide, especially shoes, in the fireplace chimney or under floor boards. They were hidden there to ward off evil spirits.

Bourton on the Water
Stowe on the Wold - one of my favorites
Stanway
Stanton
Hidcote Manor Garden in Chipping Campden - where they have beautiful gardens. I went here with Mark the owner of the Airbnb. Lots of pictures of this. Also, see an article online called "Think a garden won't make you cry? You haven't been to the Cotswolds." by Johanna Schneller in the publication The Globe And Mail, June 30, 2014

Sorry there are so many pictures but I can't begin to tell you in words how beautiful it is here so, a picture says a thousand words so, here are 16,000 words!

Winchcoombe

Sudelely Castle

(this is only the castle gate I am afraid.

We were too late to go in)

Blockley - I liked this village
Broad Camden - I liked this village also
Bretforton
Backford Arboritum
Guiting Powers - I don't remember what this was. I will have to look it up.
Lower Slaughter
Upper Slaughter
Snowshill
Woodstock
Evesham
Burford
Bristol - this is where I caught a plane out to Edinburgh for 3 days then back into "The Lake District" of Great Britain
Bath - there is a whole separate blog about this one. Beautiful!
Bibury

Let me tell you a little story I heard about this area. This district is known for its wool production which commenced in the middle ages. It used to be thriving wool producing community and very wealthy. The wealthy lived in spacious estates. The workers lived in housing districts consisting of little 2 bedroom cottages. Today many "Brits" visit the Cotswolds on holiday.

The color of the buildings - which is a honey color - comes from fossilized sea urchins! How about that? The thatched roofs began some time in the 1500 - 1600's. The roofs are made out of wheat straw. Sometimes the roof straw would fall in on the sleeping residents. Also, sometimes things like birds or mice would also fall in on the sleeping residents. It was a matter of evolution but early on the residents would wear caps to sleep in. It helped somewhat with the straw and varmints. Later they created posted beds with a canopy on them so that if anything fell from the roof, it would fall on the canopies.

Virginia Woolf was a "regular visitor" here in the Cotswolds. A symphony created by Gustav Holst was named after the Cotswolds.

I took a local  bus from Wellisley to Stratford-on-Avon and spent a few hours there then met a driver to drive me around the Cotswolds since I only had 2 days.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful villages that I visited.

This row of houses is the most famous in the Cotswolds. The doorframes are barely over 5 feet tall! I believe these are some of the 2 bedroom worker's units.  

Mark and I went to dinner at The Fleece Inn which is a very famous and popular pub.

 

 

I had a hamburger and  "chips" and Mark had a salmon salad.

This Inn was originally built in the 15th century. It was bequeathed to The National Trust in 1977 but is still privately run as a pub. The National Trust was an organization created to preserve and protect historical sites. Events are frequently held on the grounds.

I think I am going to have to blog another day on the Cotswolds. I have more to say and show you!