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.]