Author: RebWhite

Last morning – sunrise over Castlerigg Stone Circle.

Well, today was our last day hiking here and it was another amazing day of 8 miles. Best breakfast of the week at our B&B and last night was a wonderfully cool quiet night. We walked down from our B&B after breakfast to the ferry to go to the other side of Derwentwater to climb Cat Bells – opposite the crag we climbed yesterday. The photo shows our wake in an incredibly glassy calm lake. Such a nice way to get to your hike!

There were three false summits and then this was the final peak. It was a rare peak for me because there was enough ground on each side of the trail and a rounded top so that I could hike it easily and didn’t have any height challenges – a treat for sure. 

History note – one of the islands behind me is Derwent Island. It was bought in 1778 by Joseph Pocklington, who built a house on it, along with a fort, gothic boathouse and mock stone circle. Every year, Pocklington held a regatta, where he challenged the townspeople of Keswick to attach the island whilst he shot at them with his cannons. It’s calmer now…

We were tired enough that we repeated yesterday. We got a late lunch, soup and a scone, then found Cornish Pasties, bought a couple and some treats and walked back up to our B & B. It’s just too far to then walk back down for dinner and back up. We love our quiet evenings, reading, eating when we want, then bed. Not the most exciting travelers, but it works perfectly for us. 

Amazing postscript

We’d been back, showered, stretched, read for an hour and I just remembered that the taxi driver who’d dropped us off in Keswick had told us that there was a stone circle just up the road. So off I went. It was amazing. Kaziah is going to go back with me early tomorrow to see it in the morning light. Sunrise is at 6:08, so sadly, don’t think we’ll be able to see the sunrise over it, but still, it will be amazing. What a final gift from the Lake District!

Standing Stones Video

A wonderful stile that I stood on for the video and photo to the west. The large stone on the right used to be outside the circle, when the circle was first reported in written history, but then was moved. Maybe so they could plow around the circle? I guess it has plow marks on it.

Here’s my best attempt to get the whole circle. Incredible scene on a hill top – 4500 years old by “prehistoric farming communities who settled on the fertile regions fringing the mountainous heart of the Lake District. This site was carefully chosen to impress and draw upon the natural drama provided by the surrounding fells.” And it was just up the road from the B & B. Now I’m SO happy our home away from home was well outside town.

Kaziah and I had breakfast at the hotel. We sat in the pub and watched dogs whine, bark, brief fight, lie calmly. Amazing. Dogs are invited almost everywhere, with some places having a note saying NO WET DOGS, but other than that, come on in. There are so many dogs here, the majority are small, but we saw a couple with 3 giant golden retrievers outside at the restaurant we went to last night. Maybe they’re local…

So – breakfast, then we had a taxi waiting for us, prearranged by MacsAdventures and he drove us over to Keswick, our next and last town in the Lake District – or Lakelands as it’s called locally. This is a much bigger town, but just as great as the last two. Our B and B is an 1844 refurbished home and is beautifully done. Drawback is that it’s a mile outside of town, which is a bit dismaying since, yes, we’re walking everywhere, but we’re good to go!

We dropped our bags, then walked into town, got a tea and scone (starting to see a pattern?) and then started our planned walk. Oh, so so beautiful (another pattern) and the day was gorgeous. We did the Derwent Water Loop via Walla Crag.

Heather – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before, but have read about it SO many times. Truly a beautiful plant.

This is Derwent Water below Walla Crag. One of the islands is named St. Herbert. Here’s my history note for the day that I found online when I got back:

All we know of Herbert’s life comes from Bede’s History of the English Church and People (written around 731 AD) and Life of St. Cuthbert (720s AD)

Bede tells us that Herbert lived in prayer and solitude on an island in Derwent Water, but once a year would make a pilgrimage to Lindisfarne to visit his friend, St. Cuthbert.

One year, Cuthbert predicted that he would die before the year’s end (687 AD). Herbert was distraught, so Cuthbert petitioned God to allow them both to die at the same moment, so as to be reunited immediately in heaven. Miraculously, after returning to Derwent Water, Herbert died at the very same time as Cuthbert.

Gotta love history!

Crossing a stile – I have read so many times of people walking across the moors, or pastures, or fields – whatever and getting to them by climbing over them and I finally climbed over a couple on this hike!

And here’s the Derwent Water. The last third of our hike was walking alongside the lake and it was wonderful – every hike has been so different, wonderfully curated – as Kaziah noted today. 

Completely wonderful day. We are still in Grasmere and started the day by climbing Helm Crag. Then we returned to town for lunch, looking until I could find a place that had soup and salad, then had scone in another place that’s been serving tea for hundreds of years (though new looking at this point), and back out towards a falls and a high lake that we’d seen from the Crag. 9 miles. 

Can you believe how gorgeous this is? And you can rent these houses!

So much work has gone into some of these paths.

So so green and an amazing farm at the bottom. 

Here we can see them starting to build another path alongside a run off bed that is the current path. Helicopters carefully deposited these bags, at least 3 times as long a line up as what you can see here, snaking down the hill. And see the ferns? We realized that’s what’s blanketing all the hillsides – not bushes, but incredible banks of giant ferns!

Here’s the start of the new path with rocks from the bags. Incredible.

Later in the afternoon, up the other side across the river – and it’s not raining! We got so lucky, rained all night and some of the morning and we just read, had breakfast, read some more and then started out once the rain stopped. No wonder we’re grinning!

Gorgeous. There were scenes on both sides of the path that were so green and beautiful that it didn’t feel real. I’d stand on the path and take photos of both sides because it was just amazing.

We walked out of Lancet House, up the road, then onto the path and we were on our way to Grasmere. We’d hardly gotten a head of steam going when we came up to Rydal Hall. A bit of history: The Fleming family can be traced back to 864AD and were related to Baldwin, Earl of Flanders.  When William Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) mustered his troops to invade England and claim the throne in 1066, the then Earl of Flanders joined him and brought with him his kinsmen  in armour. One of these was Sir Michael le Fleming who was also a kinsman of Matilda wife of William the Conqueror. Amazing. This manor house was the adaptation from the first building, built in 1409. Amazingly, the family lived and owned it continuously until 1973. The main reference people make to it though, is that Rydal Mount was the house Wordsworth rented from Fleming until Wordsworth’s great granddaughter bought it in 1969. 

 So then, we went to see Rydal Mount, a modest house where Wordsworth, Mary, his wife, and Dorothy, his sister, lived with Mary and William’s children. For someone who loves personal history and house museums (me) this was a wonderful house to explore. William, Mary and Dorothy all lived, studied, and died there. And the best – because it’s still in the Wordsworth family – most of the furnishings are the same. Things that had left or been given away are still coming back, there were notes of art or books or furniture that were found at auction as recently as 2020. So cool. 

Kaziah was very patient and let me explore and read to my heart’s content. 

Then we kept walking on into Grasmere, another dream of a Lake District village. Not a long walk and we’re looking forward to climbing up to the crags tomorrow, but it was a wonderful walk. We found our hotel, Inn at Grasmere, bags already dropped off, and left our little backpacks and went out for lunch/tea. Went to a great place just down the way and had a wonderful lunch with tea and Victoria sponge for me and Bakewell for Kaziah. Both of which we’ve seen made on the Great British Baking show. Both of which Kaziah remembered and I did not. For me, really more about the personalities than the food watching that show. 

After lunch we went to a really well curated small book store, left with 3 more books. So – walk, tea, books. And we’re not done yet!

We then went to Dove Cottage where the Wordsworths lived, first Dorothy and William, then Mary joined, and then the first 3 of their children. Again, well preserved, wonderful to see and more stories. Pretty cool to sit in their garden on benches in the same place where they would sit and listen (via QR code) to a wonderful English voice quoting Wordsworth’s poems written that exactly described what we were seeing. I do love history made intimate – seeing what he saw, listening to what he wrote, and wondering how hard was it for Mary that William and Dorothy were nonstop best friends, both intense, both writing. The guide said one of their good friends said that William and Dorothy were the two most selfish people he knew. At the same time, they had friends that lasted all their lives. Amazing family.

Kaziah and I have a great little room, on the corner so two windows, looking out over the hills one way, trees the other and old stone buildings both ways. On the road again, but that’s probably just how it is since we walk to our hotel and it’s easier if it’s on the road. We had some time to read, then dinner at the pub in the hotel and then relaxing. A perfect day. 

Kaziah and I are off for our Lake District walking trip, 3 summers after first planning – COVID delay.

Day 1 – We landed in London and both of us had slept enough on the plane to keep us going and we just started walking. 6 miles our first day and we hadn’t started our walking tour!

Our first stop – no surprise to anyone who knows Kaziah – Daunt Bookstore in Marylebone. A wonderful store. Our carry on luggage was crammed and we still came home with 5 books between us and that was only because we made ourselves stop knowing packing limitations.

Then – I remembered that I had cleverly included a very thin, but decent sized bag that I’d brought in my bag. When Rick bought it, I couldn’t understand its value. Now I do! Kaziah and I immediately realized that meant we could check our main carryons going home and have that bag for overflow. Oh boy! We’ll dive into more bookstores on our journey.

After the bookstore we walked back through Hyde Park and went to an art exhibit centering around the climate and renewable resources. It was MUCH more interesting than I’d thought it would be. We ended up taking our time, reading, experiencing the different modalities expressed by the artists.

Then home to Number Sixteen, a repeat hotel that I love, for tea in the garden. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? The garden was great, the weather perfect and the tea was fine, not a repeater, but still a treat. Made me long for Brown’s hotel’s tea, actually. Next trip.

We then went walking again for a bit, but quickly wore out and came back to the hotel to read. I picked up something little to eat in and then we both actually slept – jet lag going east is just much easier to deal with – at least for me.

Day 2 – a full day in London – how cool is that?! And we…walked. 10 miles today, definitely getting in my training for my next Camino walk. We started off with the Portobello Road market. Fun to see, got a coffee and then kept walking through back neighborhoods around Notting Hill. Gorgeous. We took the Tube, happily running – they’d been on strike yesterday – over to Black Friars bridge, walked over to the Tate and thought we’d see an exhibit that looked totally cool, a Japanese artist and mirrored rooms. Sold out for a LONG time. So used the bathroom and kept walking
.

We went to Southborough Market – Kaziah knows food and had already lined up a few things to do in that arena. I’d never seen this market, though I’d actually walked around it several times, within a block! Good grief. And it was a fantastic market, all kinds of food booths and a ton of people enjoying the weather and the day. I had a Vietnamese dish and Kaziah had Indian and they were both great. And the people watching – fantastic.

Then walked back by St. Paul’s, to Twinings because Kaziah had wanted to go to a great tea shop. She decided nope, that was too common in the states (I argued saying it’s been in this spot for over 300 years! Started here in 1706!) Nope, she wanted something different, so kept walking through Covent Garden – I want to go there every time I’m in London because of My Fair Lady. Then our feet were very tired.

We took the Tube home and rested a bit, cleaned up, and then off to find the kind of tea shop Kaziah had looked for. And she was right, totally cool place. Postcard Tea. I wish I could drink more caffeinated tea.

Then to one of Otto Lenghi’s restaurants in Fitzrovia – Rovi. So fun. Small plates, all vegetarian for us, and each one had a distinct flavor. I should travel with Kaziah more often. We then walked back through Mayfair and to the Tube at Green Station and home again to the hotel.

Day 3 – Whew, the trains were running. They’d been on strike Thursday and Saturday, but were back on Sunday. And it was very full. We got there fairly early and I wondered why people were running since we had assigned seats. Turned out that because of the strikes, they’d double booked a lot of seats. We were lucky and got ours set and no one had ours doubled up.

Easy trip, transfer at Lancaster – 5 minute wait – then to Windermere and about a 2 minute wait before the bus showed up. How easy can this be? The bus dropped us off at Ambleside about 200 feet from our B and B. Amazing. Then – we walked. Of course.

Ambleside is a beautiful little town with a lot of restaurants and every house seemed to be a cottage for rent or B and B or Inn. One sign said there are 20,000 residents around Windermere (largest freshwater lake in England) with an additional 20,000 coming in the summer.

We got SO lucky because it was supposed to be raining all day and it stayed nice all day. We first got lunch at the Copper Pot – really fresh wonderful food, and of course, ended with a scone with clotted cream and jam. We then checked out the ferry where we were going the next day, walked more finding the bookstore, another cake and tea place we might go to and just explored. Finally, we went to an Italian place for dinner, but were really tired, couldn’t eat much and were happy to come back to our room at Lacet House.

Kaziah got to hear my river noise machine all night because we needed the windows open for air and coolness, but we’re right on the road for traffic and the random pedestrian railing at midnight about her girlfriend stealing her guy. She was VERY upset and we ALL got to hear about it. Hope she feels better this morning.

Day 4 – We’re off! Our first day of walking and it was wonderful. We got so so lucky because the rain didn’t start until 2:30 so we had hours of dry exploring. We took a ferry across Windermere – how cool is that to start a walk? Got dropped off at the foot of Wray Castle. A Victorian folly built by Jame Dawson, a wealthy surgeon from Liverpool and his wife Margaret in 1840. Amazing.

It was actually quite beautiful and they’re in the midst of restoring what they can with limited funds. They had to start with the roofs which will cost millions of pounds, the guide told us. So – the main thing to see was the photos taken by Beatrix Potter’s father, Rupert Potter in the empty drawing room. And they were really good – set the scene for us. Plus young and teenage Beatrice looked wonderfully happy and mischievous.

Then we started walking. On a totally groomed path, easy walking, didn’t bring my poles. We walked down the side of the lake for 4 miles and then up to the partially restored Claire Viewing station. Amazing – it was a late 18th century banqueting house with dancing and yes, views.

This area has been a retreat for people from England’s cities since the late 1700’s. I can see why, so pretty.

Then we kept walking to Beatrix Potter’s house, Hill Top. I was NOT prepared and we had to have reservations in order to go in, so missed on that front. Plus we were getting tired, it had been raining for a bit, and we were ready to go back. But – it’s kind of like going to Prince Edward Island and missing Ann of Green Gable’s house. Rick and I will just have to come back and stay in the town and then visit Hill Top. It was a completely wonderful small town, we did get a few photos…

Back to a second ferry that was a car ferry and actually used a pulley system and pulled the ferry back and forth with cables. Walked another 15 minutes to a third ferry which was the best yet. Nice wooden benches on top, the rain had stopped for a bit and we came all the way back up Windermere seeing amazing old stone mansions on the shore and in the hills. Most of which are now hotels and inns.

Back to Ambleside and went straight to a bookstore that we’d seen earlier, but didn’t find anything this time, got a pastry to hold us until dinner. Back to room, quick shower, and out to Thai dinner that was really good!

Tomorrow – we’re walking to Grasmere – Wordsworth’s home. I’ve learned my lesson. We have tickets to both his first home and his second where he died. Oh boy!

(supposed to be 10, but we just kept walking to the end and back…)
My Last Day.

Today was a wonderful day. No rain until late at night, so walked in the cool with the sun and a bit of breeze. Through forests and towards the ocean. 

• 

• 

• 

I walked onto the beach – what a wonderful way to finish the Camino. I talked with a Swedish woman (Rick had stayed on the real path to save his ankle), she and I had both started in St. Jean. She felt the same as I did, we had completely loved the journey and there were more Caminos in our future. She was collecting scallops to bring home. I hadn’t thought of that, but had already taken this photo of front and back of a scallop. It still had it’s animal, so didn’t collect. I collected after. All these scallop shells! Maybe St. James really did fall into the water and come out covered with scallop shells. 

• 

• 

Rick and I had a hot chocolate with this view and saw one more church:

• 

Then we were there!

• 

• 

• 

• 

Camino Frances to Santiago per my certificate, 779k. Santiago to Fisterra, 83k. Extra walking in towns 30k. Total 892k, 554 miles. 

And when I finished, it actually didn’t feeling like an ending, it felt like a beginning. Rick asked how I felt with such an accomplishment, but that didn’t feel like the right word. Truly, felt like I’d just gotten started and I’m going to keep going. Guess the Camino worked its magic and it hasn’t stopped. I have loved this journey.

• 

We turned out to be very lucky. We assumed full rain and dressed accordingly. Here’s the bridge onto the trail.

• 

Here’s me walking in the rain:

I thought Rick was just taking a photo. That floppy hat under my raincoat hood is Rick’s. Thank goodness he threw it into his pack. Sadly, yesterday I discovered that I’d lost my best hat ever that protected me from sun and rain throughout the trip. Well, hopefully someone else is really happy with their new hat!

Then the rain lightened up and rainbows started showing up. There was a double rainbow, but didn’t show up in the photo.

• 

But mostly – it wasn’t raining! Instead it was serene, green and beautiful. We both had a wonderful walk. I was dawdling again with photos, rocks, etc. so we mostly walked separately and dreamed our way through the day. Here are a few shots over the day:

• 

• 

• 

• 

The cows are faint, but they were so relaxed. I ended up taking a video for myself to remember what it’s like to have a quiet mind on a perfect day. They were very very slowly moving to the right, eating grass, moseying along. 

• 

This is us when we saw the ocean. We actually weren’t sure, another cloud bank? Hills? Then Rick saw a very large boat – yep the ocean. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like for a pilgrim who’d never seen the ocean and had walked for so many miles. 

Tomorrow we’ll be at Fisterra. 

• 

Well, we debated a bit about whether to do the full 21 miles, but decided to stay with the arrangements I’d made back when I booked. I was told many do the transfer and it worked out great. We took a taxi to our start point and it started to really rain. Maybe 3 moments of sun, 1 rainbow, and the rest was rain, pouring rain, rain with wind, wind, back to just rain and it was great. Truly.

We had just the right clothes, stayed dry enough and warm enough and it was a day dreamy kind of day. At the end, I started getting pretty tired and Kylie saved me with her “mom’s playlist.” Rick wondered why I was suddenly walking so much more quickly and it was fun! Singing aloud – no one could hear – and dancing a little with great bluegrass moments, just fun. Many dairies of different sizes and styles. So here’s the green, the cows, and a small cat that jumped into my pack as I was getting into my rain pants.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Rick and I are walking to Fisterra (Galician spelling) or Finisterre (Spanish). The end of the earth. A Camino website writes this: Until the end of the Middle Ages, the Costa da Morte was the last outpost in the known world. The place from where pre-Roman peoples believed that souls ascended to heaven. A mythical, symbolic place which would leave the Roman conquerors open-mouthed when they saw the sun disappear behind the immense ocean. From then, the farthest point of Cape Fisterra magnetised all its visitors.

The Fisterra and Muxía Way, is the most faithful realisation of the historical cry of the pilgrim exclaiming Ultreia! (“Let us go farther beyond!”), while another responds with Et suseia! (“And higher!”). In effect, it is beyond the goal in Compostela and, after prostrating themselves before the remains of the Apostle Santiago, many pilgrims decide to get to know this end of the world, and they do not hesitate to overcome the sacrifices of the hard days they have just endured in order to walk, at least, four or five days more. Fisterra is 89 kilometres away and Muxía 87.

We’re going to Fisterra, but Muxia is the place to go if you’re saying a final farewell to someone. After watching The Way, Rick turned to me months ago and said, “you’re going to the ocean, right?” I hadn’t planned on it, but I’m so glad he said we should add it on. 

I don’t know why, but I assumed that the old beautiful villages would be done when we left Santiago, but no. I’ve included a video of one we walked through about an hour outside of Santiago. But first – night time, early morning with the moon and then distant view of the cathedral at sunrise. Just a magical edifice. 

• 

• 

• 

The walk was beautiful today. I realized, though, as we went through more ancient areas that I had lost my constant companion – The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago. For 6 weeks, I’ve carried pages every day giving me stories, architectural, historical and religious relevance for just about every town I came across. Rick told me he’d read that I’d gone through 350 towns in those weeks – a stat related to the Camino Frances. And – the book is done. Stopped in Santiago. I kept reaching for my pocket when I saw a small ancient church or something like this – so beautiful! But what’s the story?

• 

• 

• 

Obviously a dam and some kind of water mill – still had the stones inside, but what about that beautiful little ivy covered building nearby? And the bridge? The town is called Ponte Maceira. Luckily there was a little plaque with English near by. 

“Ponte Maceira, the small big paradise of the Way to Fisterra-Muxia, is one of the most unique historical sites in Galicia and all the Ways to Santiago.” On a side note – I have seen an awful lot of signs with the words “most unique” “biggest” “most important”. But – this was a beautiful little town. 

“The Ponte Vella (Old Bridge) was built in the 13th and 14th c and reconstructed in the 18th c.”  

“Crucial battles also took place here, like the one that faced bishop Xelmirez and Count of Traba, 12c. Also, the St. James tradition tells that on the riverside of Negreira, the divine intervention would pull down a bridge saving the disciples of the Apostle St. James from the Roman soldiers.” 

So – there’s a little bit. But I still miss the authority of my book. Here’s the inside of the mill:

• 

And the walk with forests and ancient walls was great.

• 

• 

3 more days to go, can’t believe it. Then – done. Here’s the video of the little town: