Hill Top and Family

About a month ago I contacted a friend in England who has spent a fair amount of time on holidays in the Lake District. She gave me several recommendations of scenic areas to explore and I used her tips to map out a route through the Lakes. We've done so much driving on this trip that I doubt we'll remember where we saw our favourite scenery, but the Lake District offers a wide variety of landscapes so the main thing that stood out to us was how quickly the scene changes. Rolling green hills to quite barren-looking passes and rounding each corner to a stunning vista spread at our feet.

The movie, Miss Potter, was part of my inspiration for trying out life in the UK, so a visit to the Lakes wouldn't be complete without a stop at Beatrix Potter's house. She donated her homes and thousands of acres to the National Trust so we were able to take a tour of her home, Hill Top, for free. The property is still a working farm so only a tiny garden is attached to the house and the rest of the area isn't accessible to tourists. As with all National Trust sites, photography isn't permitted inside the home so I can't show you the interior. The walls were covered with original art by Beatrix, her brother, and her father. The home had been preserved as Beatrix had left it so it had a homey atmosphere rather than a museum atmosphere.

Little entrance doorway to the walled vegetable garden.

Hill Top vegetable patch.

Mom and I waiting to be allowed into the house. Timed entry is really annoying sometimes.

Hill Top farm house, as quaint and charming as you'd imagine it to be.

When we finished at Hill Top we continued to the home of my dad's cousin, Ian, in Burnley.

We caught a little ferry across a lake and this sign illustration on the dock cracked us up. The government takes health and safety issues very seriously and they're very good at stating the obvious.

I met Ian once when I was really young and I've been in touch with him and his wife Lesley off and on for the past couple of years so I was looking forward to having a chance to get to know them in person. We received a warm welcome from their whole family, including two incredibly well-behaved teenage boys (well done, guys!), followed by a delicious supper. So nice to eat in a family home instead of in a restaurant! We had a great time laughing and visiting until late in the evening. Ian and Lesley, here's a public plea that you come and visit us in Canada!

Happy birthday, mom!

Ian and dad.