top of page
The Lake District - Keswick
More beautiful scenery!
After leaving Bodnant Gardens, we made our way back to England, to the Lake District and the town of Keswick (pronounced kez-ick), a pretty town on Derwentwater, one of the lakes in this area.
​
This was one of our longest bus rides of the tour, but we certainly weren't bored. In addition to the beautiful scenery we were driving past, our guides and driver kept us thoroughly entertained. We had some great discussions about life in the UK, with Asa even lending her point of view about the British from "other Europeans" (she's from Sweden), especially since Brexit. It was fun to hear her comments on little things like how the English use miles instead of kilometers, they drive on the left, etc. We even played games! We learned the names of Henry VIII's wives and Liz had recorded theme songs from various BBC TV shows for us to "Name that Tune." Downton Abbey or Inspector Morse, anyone? The guides also kept the bus well stocked with a variety of snacks, everything from British candies and chips to local fruit. It was fun to sample.
​
We checked into the Crow Park Hotel in Keswisk (beautiful, with fantastic views), right near the lake. We stayed there for two nights and it was perfect. Liz led most of us to the local laundromat to drop off our dirty clothes that would magically be all clean the next day! We then had time to wander around the town before meeting the group for a wonderful traditional fish and chips dinner with more sticky toffee pudding at The Old Keswickian. Wow - that was the best fish and chips we'd ever had, and their mushy peas were super. By the way, in England they DO have desserts other than sticky toffee pudding if someone wanted something different, but I can't imagine why anyone would!
​
The next day, our group went for a boat ride around the lake. Derwentwater Cruises (pictured at the top of the page) has launches that provide an hour-long ride around the lake. Passengers can ride all the way around or get off at any of 7 or 8 stops and walk part of the way. This was to be our "vacation from our vacation" but we think most folks did a LOT of walking/hiking. It was blissful - I even got a sunburn! Who would have thought that you could get sunburned in England in May? We met up again in the hotel bar for a happy hour before dinner. Dennis and I, on the advice of Liz, went to the Dog and Gun pub and, if you can believe it, had their Hungarian goulash and it was amazing! We also made friends with a few of the local dogs who were there with their owners. What fun! You sure don't see that at home!
1/1
The following morning, after checking out of our hotel, we rode to Hadrian's Wall. We first visited the Roman Army Museum, which features a very well done and informative 3-D movie, It was well worth the time we spent there as it made the entire experience come alive for us.
We then drove to Cawfield's Quarry, a section of the wall with the remains of one of the mile "outposts" that were used to guard the wall. Then, on to Vindolanda where a local guide gave us an interesting talk on the activities at the site. This was a Roman fort with its garrison and it is an active archaeological site. It is believed to have been built starting around 85 AD, and used until the Roman occupation of Britain ended early in the 5th century. The artifacts have been well preserved in the bog-like ground, and give good insight into the life of the Roman soldiers.
1/1
Our group again, enjoying Hadrian's Wall at Cawfield's Quarry.
Magical Moments :
- The gorgeous boat ride on Derwentwater.
- Thoroughly enjoying a Hungarian meal with a group of friendly dogs and their owners in a small English town.
- Ok, having one's laundry done is not exactly magic, but when one is used to doing multiple loads of laundry each week, it sure felt like it!
- Walking among Roman ruins that are 2000 years old! You can almost see the Roman soldiers.
"Be curious, not judgmental" - Walt Whitman
We were curious about:
- Why was Hadrian's Wall built? Historians believe that it had multiple purposes. First, it was a show
of Roman strength. Second, it was meant to repel the Picts, who lived north of the wall. And it may also have been a way to extract the payment of tolls or taxes.
- Why did we see so many people out and about in Keswick, many more than would live in a town that size? It turns out that this beautiful area is a favorite holiday spot in England and many people were taking advantage of the lovely weather for the weekend.
- Why were we seeing "puddings" listed on menus for things that were clearly not "puddings" as defined by Americans? Americans define pudding as a custard-type sweet, like chocolate or tapioca.
In England, the use of the word "pudding" has evolved into being synonymous with dessert.
bottom of page