I was lucky to get a Wildacres Residency early this fall. The cabin is down the dirt road from the main center of buildings. To go to eat, there's a lovely trail, about a 10 minute walk, meandering through the woods.
A happy sign guiding lucky cabin dwellers to their writing place in the woods.
Residency walkers along the trail to food left their rock cairn in greeting to future cabin dwellers.
At night, the journals in the cabin suggested a 5 minute ride over to Deer Lick Overlook on the parkway for star and moon gazing.
BELOW ARE PICTURES FROM THIS SPRING'S TRIP TO THE LAKE DISTRICT IN ENGLAND
Postcard Lake District
Here's what one goes to the Lake District for. Postcard shots of the beautiful lakes and mountains. The foggy day ones were Lingmell on the way up to Skafell Pike with Wast Water below (we didn't make it up, visibility was awful and I pulled the plug!). The gorgeous sunny day shots were Mellbreak with Loweswater and Crummock Water in view. Nick was our guide up Lingmell and he and his partner, Margaret, are in the shots of Mellbreak.
Note to self: a filling station is not a service station...
We got a flat tire on our way from the Manchester airport to Ravenglass. So, what's generally a 2-1/2 hour trip, ended up more like 4. We also had to sacrifice our Saturday morning running up to Whitehaven to get the tire replaced. We didn't just flatten that puppy, we wasted it. It's what happens when you're coming off an overnight flight and driving on the wrong side of the road!
Emma!
So, Emma and Steve decided to come Friday night and we weren't expecting them until Sunday. We were so jet-lagged we fell asleep and didn't wake up when they arrived, so they just slept in the car. Their accidental honk the next morning woke us in time to get to Whitehaven and have the car tire repaired. They even had a bonfire out front in the fire pit, and we still didn't hear them! Pickle came along, too, and was a very good little dog. He loved Henry, as all dogs and little children do. Emma brought guitars, so some of that ensued. We ate good eats and talked and went to Muncaster Castle to see the owls and had a generally wonderful visit. It was so good to see them!
I am 8 and I am having a good time...
The Ravenglass Eskdale Railway, AKA the Lal'l Ratty, was a hoot. A bitsy steam train that ran 7 miles from Ravenglass to the foot of the mountains in the Eskdale Valley. We loved it. Toot toot.
Looking Through the Bathroom Window
The bathroom on the second floor was spacious and had a good English tub -- it was narrow, but long enough to stretch out in -- so I did! Reclining in my bubble bath, this is the view out the window.
The Irish Sea from Knott's View
From the window on the third floor, you could see the rivers (the Irt, the Mite and the Esk) dumping together and then out to the Irish Sea beyond. If you listened carefully, the waves crashing in could be heard. Occasional sail boats appeared and the dunes looked very inviting, although we never quite made it out there to them. When we had the time, the weather wasn't cooperative. It looked like the best way to those sandy beauties would be with a small boat, so that you'd be able to manage the trip without minding the tides.
The Bathroom Window
We used the bedroom up on the 3rd floor, in the "Knott" of "Knott's View" where we stayed. Skylights in the bathroom there almost always showed us clouds moving quickly across that ever-changing coastal sky.
Bye Ravenglass. It was a blustery morning on the coastal estuary we'd been in for the week.
We call this "Ugliest Hotel Room View Ever." From the Hilton at the Manchester Airport.
This kitty in the village of Boot wanted to have a word with me.
Sunset from Knott View, about 10:00 p.m.
