Sept. 24 Windermere & Train back to London

 

Morning in Bowness on Windermere

Yesterday, after reaching the end of the Dales Way and checking into our B&B, Russ walked a couple more miles to the train station in Windermere to buy our return tickets to London. So this morning our order of business is to (1) pack our bags for the train trip; (2) eat breakfast; (3) make sure our B&B hosts arrange for a taxi to the train station; and (4) use the remaining hour or so for a short sight-seeing walk around Bowness and the beautiful Lake Windermere which was only a few blocks from our B&B.

It was a beautiful crisp, sunny morning--just right for walking. Lake Windermere has been attracting visitors since at least the mid-1800s, and no wonder. It's a beautiful lake. The lake and town are one of Britain's most popular tourist destinations with more than a million visitors each year. Bowness and Windermere are sister towns that have grown together. Bowness is actually the older of the two.



This little traffic circle was just a few steps down the hill from our B&B. After being in the countryside for the past ten days, we have to remember when crossing the street that the cars here insist on driving on the WRONG side of the street. I'm surprised more Americans aren't run over in Britain than there seem to be.

We came across this old church and its peaceful grounds a short distance further down the hill toward the lake. A great place to spend a few quiet moments on a sunny early morning.

The Old England Hotel is slightly more grand than our humble B&B!



A small portion of the ten-and-a-half-mile long lake with some boats pulled up on the shore.

  

It wouldn't have been England if there hadn't been a brief rain shower--and neither would there have been this lovely rainbow to set off the beauty of the lake.

I had to have Russ take my picture with these flowers.

One of the early morning excursion boats was already filling with passengers. If we hadn't needed to catch a train in a few minutes, it would have been tempting . . .

That ought to give thoughtless car owners second thoughts!

The Union Jack and a red door make a perfect picture opportunity. Bowness and its sister town, Windermere, are picturesque almost anywhere you look.

 

Somehow, I've lost the pictures I took of the train station at Windermere and our train. But these pictures give you a good idea of the English landscape from the train window as we leave Windermere and the Lake District, on our way to London.

Clear blue skies, white clouds, and green pastures. Who says it rains a lot in England? We've had virtually no rain for the past ten days on our entire walk. But we did hear that it's been one of the driest Septembers in this part of Britain for years!

A few miles down the track from Windermere, we changed at Oxenholme from the local train to the express train to London. We had plenty of time between trains, which was a good thing, because we had bought restricted (i.e, cheaper) tickets that were non-refundable and non-valid if we missed our connection here to the London train. We made sure we didn't !! Some thoughtful individual had placed a bench out at the edge of the little station where Russ could relax and watch for the London train!

No London train in sight yet!!

Judy bought some coffee and took her turn relaxing and watching for the London train. We were NOT going to miss that train!

We're on the train to London!! More green pastures and more sheep. We're covering more miles in a few minutes than we did all day on the Dales Way!

The view from our hotel in London, looking down on the little park at Norfolk Square, near Paddington train station. We have two more days here in London before we wing our way back to the U.S. of A. :)

The great Dales Way walk is over. Ninety-four miles. Hundreds of gates. Thousands of stiles. A million memories!! 

 

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