Rambles in England’s Literary Lake District
May 25 - 31, 2008 (Guided)

Private or Self-Guided Departures Also Available May Through October

Trip Overview

Join Bredeson Outdoor Adventures for rambles in the heart of England’s literary Lake District. The Lake District is the first and largest of England’s national parks. It is the land of William Wordsworth and other Romantic poets, and the inspiration for Beatrix Potter’s works. It lies in northwest England nestled between the sea and Scotland, and is a region of high mountains, deep valleys, and deep blue lakes formed 10,000 years ago by glaciers. Wild, rugged mountains contrast with charming villages and farms. We’ll be treated to wildflowers and the sight of newborn lambs during this late spring cultural walking tour.

This trip will be based in a hotel in Windermere near the lake and will enable you to unpack and relax as you spend the week exploring this beautiful region.   Our hotel, once owned by Beatrix Potter, is a charming manor house with lovely grounds, lake views, gracious service and a small indoor swimming pool and sauna.  You’ll enjoy multi-course gourmet dinners, and you’ll be treated as if you were the esteemed guest in an English country house, which, by the way, you will be on this trip.  We’ll be located a short distance from the hikes and cultural attractions, but will be away from the bustle.  

Highlights 

Land Cost

(Fees pertain to the May 25 - 31, 2008 guided departure.  Please contact us for a quote for a private or self-guided trip.)

The Bredeson Outdoor Adventures Loyalty Program

Trip Rating

Moderate. 4 -7 miles of walking daily, with options to extend or choose higher energy walks. We will walk along trails that can be narrow, uneven, and sometimes rocky. Some walks will also pass through farm roads or paved back roads. Hiking boots with ankle support and practice on rocky trails prior to the trip are highly recommended.  On any given day, guests always have the option of taking a day off from hiking to relax in the hotel garden or sauna, visit additional cultural attractions, or perhaps play golf or go fishing. We will be happy assist with these other arrangements.

Itinerary

Sunday, May 25:  Trip Orientation and Welcome Dinner

Travel to Windermere and meet your guide, Deborah Lewis, at 6:00 p.m. for a trip orientation and welcome drinks, followed by your first delicious dinner in your charming hotel.

Monday, May 26:  Beatrix Potter Walk

We’ll visit Brockhole, the Lake District visitor center, a late Victorian mansion with lush grounds, to orient ourselves to the area, and then it’s off to the Beatrix Potter Walk across Lake Windermere and over the wooded fells to take in the sights that inspired the works of Beatrix Potter.   We take a ferry across Lake Windermere, once the scene for the “night walker ghost”, and over the wooded fells of Claife Heights to the villages of Sawrey and Hawkshead.  We walk through the lovely woods of Cockshott Point that she bequeathed to the National Trust and visit her house, Hill Top, in Near Sawrey.  We can make the walk as long or as short as we like by making use of either the shuttle bus or the ferry bus to suit our itinerary and our fancy.

Tuesday, May 27:  Grasmere and our Wordsworth Day

After our usual hearty English breakfast today we’ll walk from Ambleside to Grasmere via Loughrigg Terrace, enjoying wonderful views of Grasmere, Dunmail Raise and surrounding mountains. We’ll stroll around the idyllic hamlet of Grasmere, visit Wordworth’s Dove Cottage, and will stop for a treat at Sarah Nelson’s Gingerbread Shop.  Grasmere is an intimate cluster of gray-stone houses on an old packhorse road along the River Rothay.  With a population of under a 1000 and just a few roads, it retains the character of what the Poet Thomas Gray called the “white village” on the water in this “unsuspected paradise.”  His groundbreaking tour of the Lakes did much to attract broader attention.  Grasmere is seen as the “eye of the Romantic storm.”  We’ll return to our starting point along the medieval Coffin Trail, the route over which coffin bearers struggled with their load on the way to church before there was a church in neighboring Rydal.  (Our load will thankfully only be our day packs and our mood certainly much more cheerful than that of our predecessors on this pretty route.)

Wednesday, May 28:  Alcock Tarn and Blackwell Arts and Crafts House

Today’s adventures take us to Alcock Tarn where we’ll enjoy great views and a feeling of being on top of the world without too much work.  Some of the grand views in Lakeland are from the fell (or hill) tops, available only to hardcore hikers carrying a day’s rations.  The walk up to Alcock Tarn, complete with wonderful views of Grasmere below, is available to us on this moderate hike.   After enjoying Alcock Tarn, we’ll walk from the hotel via public foot paths past charming farms to visit Blackwell, the lovely Arts and Crafts House.  On the way back to the hotel we’ll enjoy the lake view and perhaps an aperitif from the terrace of another gracious manor-style hotel.

Thursday, May 29:  Hawkshead or Jack Diamond Path

We’ll have a choice today between a walk in and around Hawkshead that features quaint villages, wild flowers, views, and well-preserved farms, or a hike up the southeast flank of Coniston Old Man via the wonderfully graded Jack Diamond Path in a series of cairn marked zigzags.  Hawkshead is a delightful village, originally a medieval marketplace and steeped in the history of William Wordsworth, who went to school here, and Beatrix Potter, who married a local solicitor, William Heelis.  Potter, who was known locally as Mrs. Heelis, preserved thousands of acres of land, which she bequeathed to the National Trust.  On this walk you pass several farms, which were preserved by Potter.  The route follows well marked paths across pastures and woodlands and past charming settlements.  The view from the top of Latterbarrow is stunning, and takes in Hawkshead, Lake Windermere, and Wray Castle.  At Wray Castle Beatrix Potter, at the age of 16, spent her first holiday in Lakeland.

The Jack Diamond Path is another choice if we are feeling particularly energetic.  It is one of the few paths in the Lake District named after an individual, a one time member of the climbing club the Coniston Tigers.  It provides the best viewpoint in the south of the Lake District.

Friday, May 30:  Tarn Hows or Fairfield Horseshoe

For our last walk of the trip we have two options from which to choose, depending upon the weather and the group’s energy level. We’ll hike in Tarn Hows past farms and cottages with mountain views.  The view of the ponds at Tarn Hows is one of the most famous in the Lake District, and the path there from Hawkshead delights as well as it passes by farms and sheep.  If we are up for more of a challenge, we’ll do the Fairfield Horseshoe, the most famous of the Lake District “rounds” that takes in the peaks that surround Rydal.  We’ll also travel up to Keswick for a sunset visit to mysterious Castlerigg, a bronze age circle of massive stones, and make our own guesses as to the purpose of the stones.

Saturday, May 31:   Farewell to Lake District

Today we say good-bye to the Lake District and depart for home or other adventures.

Please bear in mind that this is a typical itinerary, and the actual walks and sites may vary due to season, special events or weather.  We reserve the right to alter the itinerary since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances that mandate change may arise.  Itinerary changes are made to improve the tour ad your experience.

Transportation

Our primary mode of transportation will be our trusty feet, supplemented by a private van and one or two ferries. 

Meeting Point and Time

6:00 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at our hotel in Windermere. Independent arrival. Detailed joining instructions will be provided in the trip information packet. 

Departure

9:00 a.m., Saturday, May 31 or whenever dictated by your travel connections.

Included in Price

Not Included in Price

A Note Regarding the Price and the Exchange Rate

Most trip expenses are paid in British Pounds by Bredeson Outdoor Adventures.  Due to the volatility of currency markets, we may be forced to raise (or lower) our trip price.  If so, your final invoice, sent out approximately 100 days before departure, will reflect the difference in the dollar portion.  Please note:  we have never had to do this in the past and expect not to have to do this in the future.  However, we do reserve the right.

Pre- and Post-Trip Extension

If you wish to arrive in Windermere before May 25 or stay after May 31, please let us know.  While you would need to pay the hotel directly for a pre- or post-trip extension, we would be delighted to make an inquiry on your behalf.  We are also happy to make recommendations for other pre- or post-trip extensions.

Group Size

A minimum of four guests will be required for this trip to take place.  The group will be held to a maximum of ten guests.  Before making your travel arrangements, please contact us to make sure that the trip has reached the minimum number of participants and is taking place.

Cancellation Policy

If it becomes necessary to cancel your trip, the following schedule applies and is determined by the day that we receive written notification:

We strongly recommend that you purchase Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance. Please contact Deborah Lewis (866-533-4361 (toll free in the U.S.), 203-840-0295; dlewis@bredeson.com) if you would like information on trip cancellation, interruption and health care insurance.

Trip Prospectus, Questions or Sign-Up Form

Please contact Deborah Lewis at 866-533-4361 (toll free in the U.S.), 203-840-0295 or dlewis@bredeson.com for a copy of the trip prospectus, questions, or a sign-up form.

After We Receive Your Reservation

After we have received your reservation, we will email detailed additional information including joining instructions, a packing list, a reading list, and other trip preparation details. 

We hope that you will join us on this grand adventure!

Contact us toll free (U.S.) at 866-533-4361 or

+203-840-0295 (outside the U.S.)

info@bredeson.com