Enchanting England: The Lakes and Dales Party

Well of course we all think of daffodils when we think of the Lakes! It is one of the most beautiful of Wordsworth's poems. 'When oft upon my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood They flash upon the inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude.' The inward eye ... how beautiful is that? We shall visit his house at Grassmere. It is a must.

Herdwick sheep are all part of the landscape. We shall also see the beautiful Swaledale sheep with their black masks. The whole landscape takes me back to what I love about England. A pastoral England of olde.

The most wonderful fells appear in the Lakes. In Cumbria they are household names: Scafell, Haystacks, Old Man Coniston, Wetherlam. We tend to avoid the peaks in order to circumnavigate and not over exert ourselves but Catbells would be a beautiful fell to climb.

Here is the river Swale which of course is all part and parcel of Swaledale. Contrasting the Lakes with the Yorkshire Dales is a true delight. The former have the drama and latter the idea of a quiet rural idyll.

Here are foxgloves, flowers beloved of the fairies and indicating their presence. I have not seen fairies yet but as we know Arthur Conan Doyle would say that I have not looked hard enough! This little brook flows into Ullswater. We will hear a lot about English folklore through this week!

Buttermere. A favourite water of Beatrix Potter who was an outstanding contributer in her time to saving the patrimony of the Lake District. She came to live in the Lakes and learnt the art of fell farming and raising livestock here. She was not only a great story writer but a massive conservationist. You shall be learning of her extraordinary life through the week.

Who can ever forget the image of Peter Rabbit squeezing under the gate of Mr McGregor's garden? I shall be reading a Beatrix Potter story a day after each fell picnic. They are such beautiful short stories and for those of you interested you can have a look at the original book that I will be carrying.