The Lakes 2009: Sunday

I can’t remember which poet or author it was who suggested that no day in the Lake district deserves the appellation “Sunday”, but that would certainly be true of this particular Sunday. It is raining. Really raining. Still, you don’t come to the Lakes to sit on the beach, but it would be nice if the rain would move out of our valley and into someone else’s in the next couple of hours.

Yesterday was out first full day, although not all members of the family had arrived when we set out on our first walk of the holiday. A short trek across the river and up to the old church, then back via Dalegarth Station for ice-cream. It’s about 5 miles and a nice gentle stroll, just right for a Saturday afternoon.

Being in a valley you get a wonderful perspective on the fells and mountains as they rise all around you. In the sunshine, yes the sun did shine yesterday, they are quite spectacular. To the east, roughly speaking, is Muncaster and the sea, to the west, Eskdale Fell and Great How with Sca Fell and the Pike in the distance. Illgil Head and Irton Fell shadow us as does the beginnings of Birker Fell as far as I can tell form the map! Wast Water and Wasdale Head lie 10 or so miles away over the Fell and Moor that separates Boot from Wasdale, and maybe a walk for tomorrow if the weather improves. I wonder too about Seatoller, a walk I haven’t yet tried in this valley.

So we wait, patiently watching the rain and looking hopefully for signs of brighter skies. It’s not a problem because we’re all happy to spend time together and talk and laugh and remember the family history. Reminiscing about my grandmother and her brass ornaments made from First World War shrapnel, or so we were told.

I’ve brought some reading with me. Frank Viola book Reimagining the Church and some fiction, The Cellist of Sarajevo, Night train to Lisbon and a Tony Parson’s novel about a man who gets a heart transplant and wants his old life back. Not sure how much, if any, of these will get read, although I’ve started the Viola book and dipped into the Cellist.

And in case you were wondering…. It’s still raining heavily!