Accommodation: The Hermitage
Yesterday was long. Today was longer. How I can muster up the strength to write this is a mystery.
We started today with a climb - a little too soon after waking and breakfast (another Full English). Huffing and puffing, we made it up to Angle Tarn. It was beautiful - with a tiny island in its middle. Then we met up with The Mystery Group - a group of 3 we've seen off and on and can't figure out their relationship to each other: 1) guy around 30-40, red mullet-y hair and red face, 2) older male, 60+, balding and with an
expression of surprise always on his face, and 3) girl of 19 or so, dark hair and Latina looking with a sullen expression always. They don't seem to interact as a family and the younger folks don't seem married. We met up because we were all confused about directions at one point and we consulting each other's maps. The younger guy was completely off in terms of how far we all were from the start. We set off again via D's direction and soon lost them.Hike, hike, hike to the Knott, Kidsty Pike - which provided a great view - and then down, down, down to Haweswater Resevoir. Saw from a distance the Rugby couple from the start of
Grasmere and we waved to each other. Ate a bit at a waterfall and brook, sitting on the green grass. Then trudged past the resevoir (which took forever) and through farm land (interminable) and then, finally, to Shap Abbey. It was really very impressive. Occupied once by Premonstratension monks before Henry VIII had it torn down.Arriving at the Hermitage was like happening upon a magic cottage - a building at least 300 years old, cottage-like, and charmingly set within an English garden - with lavendar and geraniums and all that. The sitting rooms were all decked out with hanging plate and quaint curios, sunlight coming in from the garden. Our room was even more lovely - crooked
and old, with steps down to our bathroom that had a cathedral window, crooked hobbit door, and - most importantly - a huge tub complete with a bottle of muscle-soak bubble bath - wonderful after 7 hours of hiking!After a soak in the tub we went out for some grub - fish'n' chips takeaway, which turned out to be amazing. The fish was so fresh, sweet and sound, and perfectly battered and crisp. Mmmm Mmmmm. On our way back we stopped at a co-op shop for some Lucozaide and Mars Bars. The cashier asked, "Do you have a share card?" as in, did we have a share in the co-op store. Well, what do you think?
We watched the telly - documentary on Muslims in London: "What Do Muslims Want?" Idiotic title, really. And then some disturbing reality TV show on parenting. It's one thing to romanticize the British - another to watch their television shows, especially their reality TV shows.
The little window in our bathroom
The hobbit, relaxing in his uber-English parlour
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