Alice and Lennon

Driving through the UK: Day 1 - THE LAKE DISTRICT, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND.

“The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body.”

— Alfred Wainwright

Had to get out of the car for a photo... and narrowly avoid the tiny cars speeding round every corner!

Being the Anglophiles that we are, Nathan and I recently decided to book a trip to England. He had never been before and it seemed ridiculous, considering we live in New York which is *only* a 6 hour flight away. The last time I was in the UK was 8 years ago, and it took me nearly 24 hours (all the way from Sydney) to get there!

We love to be on the road so we knew our journey would take the form of a road trip and we planned the route so that we could see as much of the country as possible in 8 days.

We began our trip in Manchester (airport, car rental, etc.) and drove northward in hopes of reaching Edinburgh, Scotland by evening. We decided to veer west, as we wanted to pass through the Lake District.

We drove through the picturesque town of Windermere, following the steep roads down to the lake, after which we headed toward Ullswater Lake, where the views from the winding roadside were breathtaking.

The day was grey, of course, but it was all part of the charm and it's easy to see how and why so many great writers and poets were inspired by this district. William Wordsworth referred to the Lake District as, "the loveliest spot that man hath found," and children's book author and illustrator Beatrix Potter holidayed there in her youth, and loved it so much that she ended up owning and preserving land throughout much of the area later in her life.

Like most beautiful places, the camera doesn't nearly do it justice. The mountains, the valleys, the infinite shades of green. Lakes and rolling mist... ancient-looking stone fences and, of course, countless sheep.

Not to mention, we spent most of our time in the car (moving) so it was near-impossible for me to get a good shot (I'm a terrible camera woman, to boot) but I did my best to record a few clips and make it into a little video, which I've also shared here (scroll to the bottom to watch!).

I have no regrets; as I'm now firmly convinced that the passenger seat of a tiny car really is the best way to see England. (NOTE: We also drove by Hadrian's Wall, but we only got out of the car for a moment and didn't walk alongside of it so I didn't get a good shot but I can confirm that it's amazing, and worth a visit).

Had to wear my vintage lambskin jacket to match my woolly roadside friends...

The stone fences which made everything look frozen in time!