ENGLAND Every now and then, during a stressful job or a dull day, I start daydreaming and my mind goes through those wonderful places that were the frame and the painting of our stay in the Lake District.

Last June for my 31st birthday, britboy gifted me with a holiday in this enchanting place in the north of England. Our base for the stay was the guesthouse Rosemount, a little family run hotel between Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere. I must admit, it wasn’t very adventurous of us to choose to stay in the most well-known and touristic town of the South Lakeland, but surely we can always go back and visit the northern district and, why not, sleep in a yurt or in a cottage on the lake!

The best thing to do in this spot of the United Kingdom is walking, walking, and more walking (or cycling). There is also the possibility of taking an open bus after having walked for a few hours, but there isn’t a better way to explore this land than a good trek and going uphill, downhill, and uphill again, to discover the best views that this region offers. This is also helpful to burn out the extra calories accrued after the delicious English breakfast, served with the renowned Cumberland sausages on the side!

The Lake District is also famous for having inspired some of the most famous English writers, such as William Wordsworth (I guess nobody can forget his poem in which he “wandered lonely as a cloud“ around golden daffodils), and the so-called Lake Poets. For young readers Bowness-on-Windermere offers an interactive museum dedicated to the work of Beatrix Potter, and her beloved house of Hill Top is in a little village on the west bank of lake Windermere. The house was donated to the National Trust that manages the property and the tour of the house. The entry ticket is a little pricey (£10.50 per adult) but the house and the garden are so dear and delicious that you cannot miss a visit here, even if you’re not familiar with her work. If you are more into romantic poetry, or not, the house where Wordsworth and his sister lived for eight years, Dove Cottage, is walking distance from Grasmere, north of Windermere. If you are lucky enough you will see some sweet bunnies scamper around the garden in bloom.

Walks, red squirrels and deer sighting, and cruises on Lake Windermere have marked our days in the Lake District. If you happen to visit these lakes…

• – don’t be afraid of getting lost because you will find yourself in fabulous places
• – don’t forget to smell the rays of sunlight on the wet ferns
• – stop for a slice of cake at the Rattlegill Cafe in Ambleside
• – taste the gingerbread of Sarah Nelson in Grasmere
• – dip your feet in lake Coniston from the jetty of the Waterhead Hotel
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TIPS:

• – if you decide to use the buses and mini-buses check the timetable, because the service can end early and you’ll have to walk back. The service in some small villages are not regular (every 3-4 hours);
• – if you are sensitive to cold or wet buy a very British mackintosh or waterproof jacket, after all it’s still England we are speaking about!
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WALKS:

1. Bowness-on-Windermere:

– Cockshott Point: there are dozens of bunnies around here and you can buy a 99 flake with melted chocolate on top
– Brant Fell: for our final stop we got a bit lost but it was all worth it. It’s a spot fit for meditation

2. Windermere – Orrest Head: breathtaking view on the lake;

3. Windermere to Bowness – Sheriff’s walk: there is a small waterfall and the money tree (into which people knock coins for good fortune);

4. Waterhead to Ambleside: here you can spot the ruins of the Roman fort “Galava” and then follow the banks of the river to Ambleside;

5. Grasmere to Rydal: the Coffin’s trail was used in the past to carry coffins from village to village; despite the name, it is an exciting walk along lake Rydal and the only one where we spotted the protected red squirrels;

6. Coniston to Monk Coniston: short walk with mandatory stops at the jetty of the Waterhead hotel and Monk Coniston arboretum;

7. Ferry House to Hill Top: Beatrix Potter’s house will appear at the horizon after a few hills, here it is clear where she got her inspiration from.