18 October 2023

 Today we had only one deadline: Pick up my friend Teresa at the Drigg rail station at 2:45 p.m., as she would be staying with us for a couple of days. Ruth and I wanted to fit in a hike prior to that, so we headed out of Kirkby Lonsdale and into the heart of the Lake District, toward Troutbeck, a small hamlet near Kendall and Ambleside. Again, we took small, winding roads that offered incredible scenery with every twist and bend of the narrow tarmac. Parking in Troutbeck near the Old Post Office tea shop (which was closed), we headed up Robin Lane toward Ambleside—one of my favorite walks in England. It leads us up and down hills, through fields of intense green, dotted with sheep. All along the way are distant views of Lake Windermere and the brooding fells beyond. 

We didn’t make it all the way to Ambleside because there wasn’t time before we picked up Teresa. But we did have time for a quick cream tea at the tea shop, which had opened while we were on our hike. You can tell where our priorities lie.

Over tea we consulted our maps and GPS to find the best route to Rose’s Cottage in Santon Village—which lay over the range of massive fells that make up the Lake District. We could take the long way to the south, which would be faster roads. Or we could take the tiny road that wound up over Wrynose Pass and Hardknot Pass, then down to the Irish Sea. Both would take about 1.5 hours.

I was afraid that the tiny road would be clogged with big SUVs and tourists, as it had been when I’d attempted to drive it with Phil’s siblings five years ago. But I wanted Ruth to see the thrilling views. To help decide this weighty matter, Ruth tossed a coin. The tiny road over Wrynose Pass won. And are we glad it did.

Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, we encountered almost no traffic on the tiny lane that wound through the Langdales (passing the old forge at which Gayle and I had stayed in 2009). Up, up it led, through a small stone hamlet and thence through increasingly treeless heights, till we were in the midst of majestic, grass- and stone-covered fells, with the occasional tarn glittering in the sun. The road was no wider than one car’s width, with occasional passing places that might squeeze two small cars side by side. It crept up the high slopes, and sometimes it felt as though the car was going to fall backwards because the incline was so steep. I kept the car in first gear much of the time (stick shift, not automatic). Sheep sometimes blocked the road.

The way down after Hardknot Pass was just as frightening and spectacular. We passed the remains of a Roman fort, high on the fells overlooking the Irish Sea. Then down, down, down into the more cultivated woods and stone walls of the lower slopes, again with eye-watering beauty around every turn of the lane, with vistas opening up over wood and field to the sea.

We arrived at Rose’s Cottage by 2:00–just enough time to unload our bags, empty the car, carry suitcases up to the third floor, and drive off to Drigg rail station to pick up Teresa, then a few groceries, and then back to the cottage to fix dinner.

The amazing Teresa (whom Phil and I met when we stayed at her airBnB in Hereford about five years ago, and who has become a good friend since) brought fresh Scottish salmon, a container of excellent Perry, and a loaf of homemade fruitcake. She also cooked the night’s meal for us—salmon, fried potatoes, and salad—and enlivened our evening with stories from her varied and rather spectacular life. And she built us a crackling fire. We need to incorporate Teresa into all trips from now on!

What a blessing it is—to be here, to share it with Ruth, to enjoy a day or two with the amazing Teresa. I am grateful.