Exploring with a Friend

I was lucky to spend my 2 1/2 days off last week with my friend Diane, a fellow lover of the Lake District. She was over to see an old friend of hers, and to catch up with me. We did a lot of walking, saw SO many dogs, and ate some great food. The photo above is us starting the ascent up Cat Bells, the fell I walked the week before. What I didn’t realize until Diane and I climbed it is that I hadn’t gone to the real top the first time. It was warm to start, but it got windier and cooler as we got to the top. There were so many friendly people to talk with as we walked or stopped to rest and look at the views. We made it all the way before any rain came in, but Diane’s new rain jacket came in handy against the wind.

We caught a bus after our hike to Honister Slate Mine, which is at the top of the winding Honister pass that goes between some very tall fells. As we got out of the bus at the mine, the rain and wind came in hard; we were happy to have tea and scones in the mine’s cafe while we dried off. The slate piles and creations are amazing. You can fill your ‘boot” (trunk) with slate as well as buy things made of slate in the shop.

The pass was pretty much invisible in the fog and rain.

I went back the next day to pick something up at the mine while Diane was off visiting her friend. I was on a bus that went up through the pass in sunshine. The road will only fit one vehicle at a time , so the bus would pull over from time to time. At one point, he pulled over to allow two cyclists to come flying down the pass. When I got off at the mine, the rain and wind came in to soak me again. While I dried off with another tea and scone, the sky cleared and the sun returned.

Diane and I saw a play that night at the Theater by the Lake, famous in the Lake District for having London quality theater. Dame Judy Dench and her husband are commemorated in the lobby for their part in the theater’s opening in 1999.

At the interval, we went outside to see that it was raining with bright sunshine. The sheep in the field across from the theater had all come to huddle under the trees.

Another animal that we got to see up close in Keswick was a white face owl. The birds of prey rescue organization had people out in the market square showing owls and allowing people to hold them on a glove for a small donation. I had to hold this tiny creature.

It was a great few days to share a favorite place with a good friend, and to see so much beauty together.