We bustled out of the house at 8 A.M., ready to explore the Lake District. Andy wrangled the van through the narrow alley onto the road and we headed to Windermere.

Just last Sunday, I noticed the tune for Angels Holy, High, and Lowly was called Windermere so I thought it must be a place that inspires creativity. I don’t think you’ll be seeing any new hymn tunes from us, though.

We stopped for breakfast at Homeground Coffee + Kitchen. Andy & Ida ordered long black coffees and found them to be strong and bitter. The food and tea were delicious though!

The weather has been beautiful and from what we’ve heard from locals, quite unusual. We’re so thankful for that, and are loving all the time we get to spend outside. After walking 9 miles yesterday, we had some sore muscles and joints. We thought we’d take it easy today, but still ended up walking over 6 miles.

Our first hike was to Orrest Head where we had views over Lake Windermere. It turned out to be a beautiful climb through a wood and out onto smooth rocks where we could see for miles.

An excerpt from a hymn inspired by this view and written by John Keble is carved in the bench at the top.

Next we headed to Grasmere, where two more lakes are. We had a bit of a time finding parking, as lots of folks were on holiday here. We walked up the street to see William Wordsworth’s house. I don’t wonder that he was a poet, what with the cottage and views he had.

We wanted to take a walk around Grasmere Lake and it ended up being a bit more than we had bargained for, but it was lovely! A bird hopped up quite close to me while we were taking a break. It turned out to be one of the European robins we had been hearing. I quite liked them.

After our hike we decided to head back so we wouldn’t miss the cheese shop. We had a picnic lunch in the van which was most delicious! The Courtyard Dairy in Settle was such a fun stop. They gave us lots of samples of cheese that was mostly made locally, and with local ingredients. There was a bakery and winery on site in separate buildings. They also had a self-service shop out front with a vending machine that had glass bottles to fill with milk from the dispenser. There was also locally made ice cream, cheese, and several other items you could buy there.

We came home and had a little rest before walking over to The Masons Arms. It was such a cozy pub; with carpeted floors, low ceilings, lots of bits and bobs on the walls, and of course several dogs dining in as well. Our waitress said she loved our accent (we returned the compliment of course), and we met some friendly locals who talked with us for awhile.

Ida was delighted that they offered the Yorkshire pudding she had often read about. Puddings in England are quite different from puddings in America. Here, pudding can refer to any dessert, but there are lots of savory puddings as well. They aren’t typically a liquid or gravy, but have some substance, as is the case with Yorkshire pudding. It’s made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk which is then baked. In this case it was served with onion gravy, peas, mashed potatoes, and sausages. In the background, you can see Andy’s mushy peas (also called Yorkshire caviar) that he refused to eat.

Tomorrow morning we are planning to pack up and leave this lovely Airbnb and head south. Our plan is to explore the Cotswolds.

Love and goodnight!

x Ella