The Lakes Day 7 - Easedale Tarn & Grasmere

Day 7 was our last day. Since I would like to visit a few shops in Grasmere, we chose a walking trail that starts from the town of Grasmere and takes us to Easedale Tarn. The weather was back to cloudy with light showers.

Good morning, sheep!

We were stepping up higher and higher; the waterfall over there was getting closer and closer.

After passing by the waterfall, we followed the stream, which connects with Easedale Tarn.

Easedale Tarn lies in a hollow between fells, Tarn Crag to the north and Blea Rigg to the south. We guessed it must be behind the mountain wall in front of us. It still looked far away at this point. I wondered we would have to climbed up the wall...

We walked more without any challenging climbing. Easedale Tarn emerged!

It is said that the hollow was formed by a small corrie glacier, and have filled with water around 11,000 years ago when the ice finished melting. The tarn was serene. 

We circled round the tarn. There wasn't a clear path at parts of the circle, so we chose our way in wet grass field and on rocky slope, just as sheep do.

Our way to return started waking along the opposite side of the stream.

Hello! 

The latter half route included a walk in the shallow streams hidden in the extensive pasture. Water-proof hiking boots were a must! 

The trail was very enjoyable with countless beautiful views and cute sheep. J's another successful choice! Thank you!

After then, we had a lunch at Baldry's Tea Room in the town of Grasmere. We had a pot of tea and shared two kinds of sandwiches: corned beef and smoked salmon. Both were pretty good. Tea was called Blue Lady Tea. It was floral and pleasant. The sandwich came with a lovely fresh green salad. I enjoyed the lunch very much!

After the lunch, we stopped by at Lucia's Coffee + Bakehouse to get their famous sausage roll and some sweet pastries. 

Well, there weren't much items left in the afternoon... although the situation made us choose what to buy easier. Luckily they just brought a sheet of freshly baked sausage rolls when we were there. We bought two kinds of sausage rolls as well as a chocolate croissant and a slice of banana bread. We had banana bread later of the day and the rest for the next day. All were tasty! 

Another shop that I wanted to visit was the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop. However, there was a long waiting line! Unfortunately we decided not to join the line and left Grasmere without gingerbread... On the other hand it was still a little early to go back to the cottage. We drove to Rydal Mount which we somehow missed on Day 2. This time we successfully found the Poet's house! 

We attended the house tour. J played an important role to pull the bell strings to call our tour guide!

To be honest, I am not familiar with William Wordsworth. Rydal Mount was the home that he lived for 37 years from 1813 to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. This visit may expand my new literary interest and knowledge.

It is said that William Wordsworth was very keen on gardening. He designed the fiver acre gardens of Rydal Mount. "A garden should be informal, harmonize with the country side and should consist of lawn and trees carefully planned so as not to obscure the view" was his belief of gardens. 

There was the 9th century Norse mound in the garden, which was used as a site for a beacon fire to warn of coming border raiders - Norsemen and Vikings. Interesting!

The Lake District was so beautiful and amusing. There are still many fells, crags, tarns, and lakes that we haven't explored. We hope to go back there again, perhaps when trees produce autumn foliage.