I thought it was about time I started sharing some snippets and snaps from our recent trip to England! The amount of photos I took and needed to process was so overwhelming that I only got started on them this past weekend and then proceeded to spend an inordinate amount of time editing and then selecting shots for this blogpost. So there’s a lesson in holiday photo taking I’ve only had a dozen times before. But I will say this: I’ve learned a lot about photo editing because for the first ever I really had to peel the layers of the raw files to unveil the photo that was hidden in mist and rain and darkness and, well, generally British weather.
Despite, or dare I say because, of this weather, we had a great holiday. It was just absolutely wonderful. We like to say we shared a tasting platter of England – a very specific one, because we know what we like – and it was good. We drove from our home in the Netherlands to France, where we got on the ferry that brought us to Dover, England. From there we drove to a tiny town near Bath to spend the night. The following morning we ignored Bath (which became much harder when our host told us it’s where lots of my favorite costume dramas are filmed!) to drive all the way up to the Lake District. And that’s where the following day, as Joop went mountain biking, I set out on an amazing walk.
I started in Hawkshead, a small village that was charming despite being touristy, probably because it was a dreary Monday morning and almost no one was there. After breakfast, I left the village behind and set out to find the route. The walk was advertised as being moderately easy and well signposted, two things that proved to be untrue fairly early on. Luckily, I had put on Joops hiking boots (as I currently have no pair of my own) and Joop had set me up with an app with the route on my phone, because I am not famous for my navigational skills. Without both of these things, I don’t know where I would’ve ended up. Somewhere at the bottom of a slippery hill in the complete opposite direction of where I was supposed to go, with a couple of broken bones? Very likely.
The landscape was breathtaking. We were there at the height of autumn, with all the trees and ferns in their most glorious colors. It was grey and dreary that day, but I loved it. It seemed to suit the landscape and I just love a misty mood. The route was great as well. I was gradually, and sometimes less gradually, climbing hills (mountains? how high does it have to be for anyone not from the flattest country in the world to call it a mountain?) while around me the landscape changed from country side to hillside to heathland to swamp to deep dark forest. I wish I had more photos to share of the latter, but places like that are hard to capture in a photo. And then, after climbing another hill (mountain?), I saw this:
I stood there on that tree stump for a good long while, taking it all in. When the sun came through the clouds, it was pure magic.
After that I had views of the village on the lake shore before I passed through the most colorful forest I’d ever seen. After emerging from that, I crossed through farmland, dark and beautiful with those ever-present, amazing walls. Crows were flying overhead and it just felt so good walking there by myself, just me and the landscape.
When I finally came down the mountain (hill?), Joop was waiting for me besides the water, all muddy and wet from his own great experience. It was a very good day indeed.
Have you ever been to England? Do you ever go on long solo walks when on holiday? I go on long solo walks all the time at home, but never in another country where the walks are more challenging. It was a great experience!
xoi
