Lake District Re-Cap: Day One

We went up to England's Lake District this weekend.  What an incredibly beautiful, diverse place.  Two castles, two lakes, two lakeside towns, and the coast of England - just stunning. The Lake District was the home of Beatrice Potter (think Peter Rabbit) and she willed much of the land to be national parkland on her death.  It's wonderful to see the landscape that inspired such famous children's stories.

We drove up on Saturday morning and made our way to Wray Castle.  We brought a lovely picnic and enjoyed it castle side.  Wray Castle is relatively new in the castle world (build in the late 1890's by a wealthy Englishman!). While it was never used for protection, it still has arrow slits and the
trappings of a much older place.  It was also a vacation home for Beatrice Potter when she was young.

After our visit to the castle, we visited Windermere a town named for the largest lake in England.  It was a darling town with adorable restaurants and shops.  It also had lovely views of the lake:

We then drove up what's considered one of the "most difficult roads" in England called Hardknott Pass.  It was a nearly empty - it included lots of steep inclines and hairpin turns - and included some stunning views of the Lake District highlands: 

It also included hundreds of sheep grazing quietly right next to the road...like this guy:

The drive led us to the north western coast of England - out onto the Atlantic where we stayed in a one-road town called Ravenglass.  A truly amazing experience.