Sunny skies and warm temperatures got us out of the cottage in record time today. We were in our car and heading to Ullswater by 09:30 for our longest walk (the Brits call it walking we call it hiking). Ullswater is a long, narrow, serpentine lake which was created by three seperate glaciers and many consider it the loveliest in the area. The lake has diesel powered steamers that have been cruising the lake since 1859. We drove to Glenridding, the hamlet at the southern tip of the lake where their is a pier for the steamers. Our plan was to walk the most scenic part of the lake trail to Howtown Pier and pick-up the steamer as it heads back to Glenridding. This would be a 9 mile (14km) walk along the lake. We started out at 10:30 and ended up at Howtown Pier in time to catch the 2:35 steamer back to Glenridding. It was a wonderful walk through farms, forests and fells offering some spectacular views. We stopped for a tasty picnic lunch that Rita put together at the edge of a forest and all we could hear was the bubbling brook running below us and songbirds in the trees. Rita and I were totally surprised at the natural beauty of the area and could certainly understand why the Lake District is such a popular place for the Brits who want to get away from the city crowds. We were certainly feeling the walk as it offered a lot of ups and downs as well as many areas where you are walking on rocky uneven trails. We headed back home where I went for a thirst quenching pint in the pub while Rita prepared a wonderful stew for dinner. As I was drinking beer while Rita was slaving in the kitchen the least I could do was watch a chick-flick movie with her before sleepily heading to bed.
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