THE LAKE DISTRICT
=How to get there.=—Train to Ambleside from Euston. London and
N.W. Railway.
=Nearest Station.=—Ambleside (for visiting Coniston, Grasmere, Hawkshead,
Patterdale, and Windermere).
=Distance from London.=—260 miles.
=Average Time.=—Varies between 6 to 8 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—Single 39s. 0d. 25s. 2d. 23s. 0d.
Return 76s. 4d. 49s. 4d. 45s. 0d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=—At Ambleside—"Queen's Hotel,"
"White Lion Hotel," "Royal Oak Inn," "Robinson's Temperance
Hotel."
=Alternative Route.=—Train from St. Pancras. Midland Railway.
Ambleside, situated in the very centre of the Lake District, is by many regarded as the most tempting spot in the whole region.
It is a long and straggling town of about 2000 inhabitants. The old church stands up the hill, in the more picturesque part of the town. The old ceremony of "rush-bearing," dating from the time of Gregory IV., is still, in a modified form, an annual function in Ambleside, which, with one or two Westmorland villages, can claim the custom as unique.
About a mile south from Ambleside is the northern extremity of Lake Windermere, 10-1/2 miles long, and varying in breadth from a mile in the widest part to a few hundred yards in the narrowest. The surrounding scenery is magnificent, of a soft and graceful beauty, which forms a wonderful contrast to the wild and sublime grandeur of other parts of the Lake District. There are a number of beautiful islands in the lake, which is very plentifully stocked with fish.
The little lake at Grasmere, a village to the north of Ambleside, is one of the gems of the Lakeland scenery; indeed, Grasmere is an excellent centre from which to visit some of the points of interest in the district. Wordsworth's cottage stands half a mile outside the village.
Within easy reach of Ambleside are Coniston village and lake, upon which a little steamer plies. Near the head of the lake is Coniston Hall, now a farmhouse, but for long the seat of the Le Flemings, a well-known Westmorland family.
Among the numerous other places of interest near Ambleside are
Hawkshead, the scene of Wordsworth's school life, and a most charmingly
picturesque village; Patterdale and the surrounding district; Langdale
Pikes, Shap Fells, and Stockgill Force, a fine waterfall 150 feet high.
[Illustration: Valentine & Sons, Ltd.
WINDERMERE.
It is ten and a half miles in length, and is surrounded by the most beautiful wooded scenery.]