I'm up in an area called the Lakes Dustrict this week. One of my friends at work was so kind to not only schedule a dinner party, but she and her husband drove me all around the lakes for 2 or 3 hours, amazing.
We chatted all about the history of the lakes. It's believed that glaciers melted after the ice age, and the moving water formed the hills and lakes. One of the first lakes you see when coming up from the south is Windemere. There's a slightly oddly placed lighthouse somewhat near the lake, so of course I asked about that. The story goes that a loved local passed away a long time ago and the locals wanted to raise £600 to build a monument. The town raised £450 and asked organizations if they might pay the rest. One org that owned light houses said they'd pay, but the monument had to look like a lighthouse. Kinda fun, since there really is no use for a lighthouse there, so it grabs your attention.
I guess I didn't realise Beatrix Potter lived in the lakes district. She also loved the area so much that she used her earnings to buy up the land, then donate it to national groups. So Peter Rabbit and all those fun characters were "created" in this area.
It really is quite magical. The roads curve up and down the hills, around the still water lakes. The greenery is all shades of green, with some pointy evergreens to some fluffy oak-like trees. The towns around the water look stunning from up in the hills, just compelling you to run down and buy up a house or two.
A couple of small signs made me laugh. One said "probably the oldest inn in the lakes" and the other said "maybe the largest carpet dealer in England". Only in the UK would you see "maybe" and "probably" in advertising :)
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