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Hills and Dales of Northern EnglandBy Caroline M. Jackson
From our base in the hub of the Lake District, we were able to make day trips in every direction. To the east, we took a five minute drive to Lake Windermere and drove onto the little car ferry which transported us across England’s largest lake to the town of Bowness-on-Windermere where you can visit the World of Beatrix Potter. Located in the Old Laundry buildings, it is just a five minute walk from the pier. Young and old alike will enjoy the exquisitely detailed tableaux which are based on the writer’s many animal tales complete with scary Mr. McGregor. Bowness-on-Windermere, like its neighbor, Ambleside, was awash with people. Although nearly 18 million visitors come to the Lake District annually, it is possible to enjoy hours of solitude walking along the myriad well-marked footpaths. Some follow lake shores, nature trails, and for the fleet of foot, there are challenging uphill routes to the summits of Langdale Pikes or Scafell Pike which stands at 978 meters.
Despite some navigational errors on my part because I was shuffling between maps which sported creases at important junctions, we were again on track, heading eastwards. Our destination was the village of Goathland which lies inland from the coastal town of Whitby. After the busyness of the Lake District, we thought we had reached no man’s land. A heavy sea mist called “the fret” blanketed the coastal area and the desolate moors, so we were relieved to find our accommodation, the ivy-clad Mallyan Spout Hotel. Goathland’s claim to fame was thanks to the popular Yorkshire Television series, Heartbeat which tells the story of a local constable’s life in the North York Moors National Park. We therefore chose the Goathland Hotel otherwise known as Aidensfield Arms for our evening repast of fish ‘n chips. At any moment we half expected one of the TV characters such as Nick Rowan or Claude Jeremiah Greengrass to saunter up to the bar. Heartbeat fans will also want to visit the interesting Goathland Exhibition Center.
Travel tips:If you plan on walking, carry a compass, bring appropriate rain gear and purchase an ordinance survey map of the area. Three long-distance footpaths traverse the Lake District and Yorkshire. The Dales Way (130 km) runs from Bowness-on-Windermere to Ilkley in West Yorkshire. The Coast to Coast Walk (306 km) crosses from St. Bees Head on the west coast to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire. The Penine Way (412 km) runs north/south from Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish border to Edale in Derbyshire. Roads are narrow, so rent a small car. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has its own web site: http://www.nymr.demon.co.uk Good buys: Lake District - slate coasters, cakes of lanolin soap from the Sheep Centre; Beatrix Potter memorabilia; watercolor paintings. Yorkshire - Wensleydale Cheese with cranberries or ginger; Lindisfarne cowslip wine; licorice Pontefract sweets. Images by Hamish Jackson UK Info:
http://www.visitbritain.com |
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TM
I watch a brace of pheasants strut between the sweet
high grasses, their grating throaty calls interrupting the otherwise melodic
bird song. The wind causes delicate wall ferns to quiver in the breeze which
carries the scent of wild garlic. A pair of baby brown rabbits scurries
across the newly-mown lawn cutting a fine track through the silvery dew.
With noses a-twitch, the bunnies briefly confer with each other before
darting under the farm gate. A vociferous robin alights on a nearby fence
post oblivious to the antics of the gamboling lambs. I am trespassing on the
idyllic pocket of England which was once home to Beatrix Potter. It was here
in this very setting that she wrote and colorfully illustrated twenty-three
charming animal tales featuring such well known characters as Peter Rabbit,
Jemima Puddle-duck, Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, Jeremy Fisher and Tom Kitten.
To absorb the ambiance of the Lake District National
Park, we stayed in a delightful Georgian Bed & Breakfast called Ees Wyke
Country House at Near Sawrey. Our bedroom overlooked green pastures and a
tranquil lake - hence the name ‘Ees Wyke’ meaning ‘East Water’. Our hostess
also offered gourmet evening meals and these occasions presented us with a
chance to exchange travel tales with fellow wayfarers. Ees Wyke was often
visited by Beatrix Potter who resided in nearby Hill Top farm where she
wrote many of her Peter Rabbit books. She bequeathed it, like the rest of
her extensive estate, to the National Trust.
The Lake District was also home to poet William
Wordsworth and visitors can make a pilgrimage to his birthplace at
Cockermouth, walk through his homes at Rydal Mount and Dove Cottage and
finally, tarry by his graveside in Grasmere’s quaint churchyard. As you
depart through the lychgate, don’t miss Sarah Nelson’s little gingerbread
shop which has sold her tasty confection on these premises for over 130
years.
For another day of adventure, we headed northwest
towards the busy market town of Cockermouth to visit the Lakeland Sheep and
Wool Center. On our arrival, we were ushered into a 300-seat arena where for
the next hour, we watched and participated in one of the fascinating Sheep
Shows which are held four times a day. For the “woollybacks” the temperature
inside was just right but it is advisable to bring your own woolly sweater.
Initially my nose twitched at the animal aroma but I soon forgot all about
it as I became engrossed in the show. Over 19 breeds of sheep were
introduced to us - mostly rams because ewes, according to the young New
Zealand farmer, are “too ornery”….. By the end of the session I had
discovered why only some sheep are allowed to keep their tails and why the
animals don’t get chilled after they are shorn. At the end of the show, I
lingered to chat with the shearer and was surprised when the sheep standing
beside me began to eat its neighbor’s fleece. According to the shepherd,
this habit has often saved animals from perishing if they are stranded in a
winter snowdrift.
Just beneath the surface of the lovely rolling
countryside lie some interesting resources, one being graphite. In times
gone by, it was used to treat colic, to mark sheep and to prevent guns and
pistols from rusting. Today graphite is still used for pencils and in nearby
Keswick, a visit to the Cumberland Pencil Museum is well worthwhile. Over
160 years ago, this was the ‘birthplace’ of Lakeland colored pencils which
are still popular today. During the Second World War, the pencils were made
unpainted except for a range of green ones containing a compass and a map of
Germany. These were issued to bomber command aircrew and POW camps. Thus the
Derwent pencils played a vital part in the wartime escape networks. 
During dinner one evening, guests at our B&B regaled us
with tales about hair-raising drives over the Cumbrian Mountains which lay
to the west of Ees Wyke: “You’ve got to do it; it’s a faith building
experience, steep gradients and hairpin bends and the views are simply
breathtaking” encouraged my dinner companion swigging down his last glass of
wine. The next morning dawned bright and clear and after polishing off a
plate of bacon and eggs, my husband agreed to chauffeur me over the fells
and down towards Muncaster Castle near the coast. Our route took us through
Hawkshead where Wordsworth attended boarding school. At Skelwith Bridge we
departed from the ‘A’ road and turned east along a narrow ribbon road .
Upwards and onwards we climbed, pulling over every so often to let an
oncoming car pass within a hairsbreadth. In the distance we watched a
slow-moving snake of cars creep up the last incline to Hardknott Pass. Near
the summit, we parked on a patch of desolate moorland and pulled our parkas
around us as the wind howled and blustered against the fleecy Blackface
sheep. At this spot, I thought of scribe Daniel Defoe’s description of the
area in the early 1700’s: ‘the wildest, most barren and frightful (country)
..in England.’ The journey west down towards the coast following the River
Esk was a little easier. At the tiny village of Eskdale, we gladly abandoned
our car and joined a covey of visitors for a seven mile journey on the
narrow-gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale railway. To round off the day, we paid a
visit to 13th century Muncaster Castle which commands a breathtaking
panorama of the estuary. The gardens alone are worth a visit as is the open
aviary which specializes in an eclectic variety of owls who are sure to spot
you first.
All too soon it was time to leave the Lake District
and travel east across northern England to the Yorkshire Dales National
Park. Our first stop was in the market town of Hawes which is famous for its
Wensleydale cheese. (‘dale’ in Norse means ‘valley’). Introduced by French
Cistercian monks in the 12th century, the Wensleydale Creamery Visitor
Center gives one a sense of history and a selection of tasty cheese samples.
In my trusty Eyewitness travel guide, I had read about
the limestone Buttertubs, a series of deep rocky clefts used by monks and
farmers to keep butter and cheese cool. It was almost lunch time and my
navigational skills were at a low ebb, so I lowered the car window and asked
a couple of locals if they could direct us to the Buttertubs. The two ladies
looked quite puzzled and said they’d never heard of them. Eventually the
penny dropped: “Ah, you mean the “Bootertoobs”. Why didn’t you say so lass!”
After a close shave with a caravan on a tight bend, we
stopped for a ‘cuppa’ in the busy market town of Thirsk which was the
inspiration for James Herriot’s fictional Darrowby, the centre of his
stories about a Yorkshire vet in “All Creatures Great and Small”.
Train buffs and those with a love of nostalgia should
check out the steam train timetable at Goathland Station which lies on the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway line. Visitors can journey along the 29 km
track between Pickering and Grosmont. Many hikers combine a locomotive trip
with a walk across the moors to one of the medieval waymarkers.
Since “the fret” stubbornly refused to lift over Whitby
Abbey, we decided to abandon the picturesque coastline and head forty
minutes south to Eden Camp which housed Italian and German POW’s during
the WWII. Today, thanks to an innovative local businessman, twenty-nine huts
tell the social history of life in Britain from 1939 to 1945. Topics appeal
to men and women alike and include huts devoted to the Land Army Girls, The
Blitz and Women at War. Serendipity abounds - the “Dig for Victory”
movement encouraged vegetables to be grown in unusual places including the
moat at the Tower of London, Hyde Park and even tomato plants in the window
boxes of London clubs.
As a grand finale to our Yorkshire visit, we headed to
nearby Castle Howard which was the location for the television version of
Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Brideshead Revisited. The house is still lived in by
the Howard family but visitors can tour the superb rooms and galleries -
richly furnished and filled with family treasures. The one thousand acres of
parkland are magnificent, complete with peacocks, walled rose garden,
pristine lakes and fountains. On such occasions, it seems one’s camera lens
just isn’t big enough to capture it all for posterity.