March 28, 2012. Dove Cottage!

I made it!!!!

Dove Cottage (bottom) and the pretty surrounding area.

Let's set the record straight: I'm not the super poetry loving girl in the family. I think some of it is very pretty.... but lots of it goes a bit over my head. I prefer to see a beautiful place rather than read a poem about it.... So that's just what I did!! On my last days off before my final three working days at l'enclume, I went on a little adventure.

I woke up at 9am to catch the 9:30 out of Cartmel to Kendal. From Kendal I jumped on the 555 to Keswick by way of Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere! Now because I'd never gone this way before and I was alone, I relied completely on the bus driver to get me there. I asked him how long to Grasmere and checked my watch. At the one hour mark, I (by some stroke of luck) saw this little white house just off the main road and a sign (very unobtrusive sign) that said "Dove Cottage-->". Almost missed my stop!!

Aha!

I spent a little time in the tiny gift shop / ticket booth then jumped on the guided tour! Unfortunately no pictures were aloud in the cottage which kinda sucked... but that just means you'll have to go there yourself sometime!

Looking out at the back garden at Dove Cottage

The garden there was fabulous and the view was stunning. The lady giving the tour seemed to know her stuff and was (fortunately) pretty patient with the older ladies I was on the tour with... they asked the strangest questions....

Front garden.

Next up was the Wordsworth Museum. I didn't spend too much time in there, I prefer things like the cottage over dark and stuffy museum. Also I wasn't sure when the last bus left (because there's no WAY I was being stuck in a little town overnight when I had a flat just an hour south!) so up next was the church where the Wordsworths are buried! Happy thought, I know. But apparently that's another popular place for the Wordsworth tourists to go... and heck, why not, who knows when I'll be back here again.

I stopped in a shop to grab some postcards and find out when (and where) the bus came through and 15 minutes later I was on my way back to Cartmel by way of Kendal and Grange!

Short trip but it was a nice warm day, sun was shining and I got lots of pretty pictures!