I am settled into the lounge at the Sunnydowns Hotel in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. I’ve been without Internet access for a few days so will try to get caught up with the trip. Photos are busy uploading in the background while I type. It’s been a busy couple of days…
We left Stratford on Tuesday, heading for the Lake District. We knew it wo
uld be a long driving day but planned a few stops, including the various potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. We hit up Wedgwood and Royal Doulton for deals on china. Once we got past the bigger cities like Manchester and Liverpool, we stopped for a late lunch along the Lancaster Canal. We saw houseboats just like those on the Avon River in Stratford.
The landscape began changing the further north we traveled. Hills lined with stone walls and littered with sheep rose from the road. Then, the mountains appeared. Finally, the road came alongside Grasmere Lake. 
Our last stop of the day was Dove Cottage in Grasmere, the home of William Wordsworth, and the place he wrote many of his most famous works. He was visited by all his friends here including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas DeQuincey. The house is furnished with original furniture and cases are filled with memorabilia like his ice skates, dishes, and spectacles. Excerpts from his sister Dorothy’s diary for the dates of our visit were lying on the table in the entry room, which originally served as the kitchen. I don’t want to gush too much but it was pretty amazing to be standing in his study, imagining him writing Daffodils after coming in from the garden.
We drove north into Keswick and found our way to the Scales Farm, a lovely B&B along A66 with gorgeous views of the fells. We ate a pub dinner–fabulous steak and ale pie–at the Salutation Inn in Threlkeld and watched the local pool club play.
