S. Worthen | Weblog

It was a glorious venue for a wedding. Bassenthwaite Water stretches out before it to the hills beyond. Even though we were indoors, when the couple getting married said their vows, the only other sound was birdsong. Later in the afternoon, guests paused to look out over the view.

By better chance than intention, our hotel was an easy walk from the venue. So easy, that we did walk. Coming back in the dark, the very dark, the only other vehicle to cross our paths was that of another event guest. There were cows, and a man with two dogs and no flashlight. C has a good flashlight app on his phone, so we were set; not that it's at all difficult to follow a two-way, paved road for <10 minutes at night in the dark.

Other things done: meals at the Drunken Duck and L'Enclume. A look around Cartmel Priory, which, according to the map, was surrounded by two now-long-gone lakes as of the thirteenth century. We gave walkers a lift back to Grasmere; I don't think they understood that part of their hour walk should have been off-road, which is why, two hours after they began, they were still walking. Crowds were arriving from the opposite direction for the Great North Swim on Windermere as we left, thronging the dock by the finish line. One of the best views of the expedition was recommended by Southey.