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BB1337
: Lake For Sale
Wednesday
23rd October 2013
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“Why,
William, on that old grey stone,
Thus for
the length of half a day,
Why, William,
sit you thus alone,
And dream
your time away?”
One morning thus, by Esthwaite
lake,
When life was sweet, I knew not why,
To
me my good friend Matthew spake,
And thus I made
reply.
Ask not wherefore, here, alone,
Conversing as I may,
I sit upon this old grey
stone,
And dream my time away.
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If
that doesn't quite make sense to you, it could be because a few verses
have been omitted. See Expostulation
and Reply for William Wordsworth's complete poem.
Many
people think of the Lake District as a lovely place
to visit providing it is not raining Some welcome the drama of the damper weather. However,
with
your own lake, you can enjoy it in
full sunshine and then quickly learn about the pleasures
to be experienced whilst the lake is being refilled. Or,
indeed in the right season, delight in what Wordsworth
called Esthwaite's
splitting fields of ice.
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Perhaps,
like Wordsworth, you, too, wish to dream your time
away.
Or
maybe you prefer to have a more active and commercial
lifestyle.
Whichever,
where better than on your very own lake in
this greenest of pleasant lands?
You now
have the rare unique
opportunity to acquire a 15 year lease on
the largest privately owned lake in the Lake District,
Esthwaite
Water.
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KEY
FEATURES
- 280
acre lake plus land of approximately 7 acres.
- Fishing
tackle shop.
- Artists'
studio
- Café in a
Victorian boathouse with a fish and Beatrix Potter theme.
- Trout
fishery in the summer and a coarse fishery in
the Winter.
It is the most significant pike
water in the country, boasting the English record.
- Home
to a wide variety of resident wild life, including
otters and osprey.
- Home
to Beatrix Potter's Jeremy Fisher, the waistcoat
wearing, newspaper reading, copyright protected, gentleman frog.
- The
start point for the BOOTboys Esthwaite Round
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Esthwaite
Water Visitor Centre entrance
studio
exterior
Catch
your own child, £1.22 per lb
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moorings
studio
interior
The
tea room
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You
will not be alone in your desire to own a lake in the
Lake District, especially one with a BOOTboys connection. But hurry, time is limited. There is much
interest in this opportunity and bidding is expected
to take place on Ebay
on 15th November.
For
further information visit these websites:
The
BOOTboys
Esthwaite Round
Please
Note:
This is an all weather walk. Stout
boots and waterproof clothing strongly recommended.
Frilly knickers or thermal undies? You decide.
The description below gives
a (not necessarily totally accurate) impression of the walk,
not detailed directions. It is no substitute for
the OS 1:25k map plus compass, gps or sunstone.
Anyone
undertaking some or all of this walk does so at his
or her own risk, is totally responsible for his or her
own actions and no liability whatsoever shall be construed
against any BOOTboy
for errors, omissions or otherwise misleading comments
or any other matters leading to loss of life, limb,
mind, virtue or wallet.
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1
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Start
from the Boathouse Café.
Seek the path that runs south alongside
the lake but if the weather is too bad,
go back in for a brew and try again later.
Repeat as necessary.
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2
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Follow
the Beatrix Potter path south. Most
of the walkway boards over the many wet
bits are mesh covered and quite safe. But
the odd one isn't.
If
the stream is in spate you need to decide
whether you are in the Greg Rutherford class
of long jumpers.
If your
are
not, then head up to the road, climb over the
wire on the wall (careful, gentlemen), cross
the stream then same in reverse (ditto
warning) to regain the path.
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3
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At
the bottom of the lake, follow the road
up to Far Sawrey where, if you wish (mandatory
if you are Japanese), visit the Beatrix
Potter house, otherwise take the bridle
path up to Moss Eccles Tarn.
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4
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Proceed
to Wise Een Tarn where you have a decision
to make.
One
option is to take the trail to Wraymires
Tarn but to do so you will have to pass
a no-entry sign, climb a locked gate and
negotiate a field containing bulls and,
even more dangerous, cows with calves.
Those
more law abiding and self preserving individuals
will continue along the bridle path, noting
Highs Moss Tarn on your right before taking
a path to your left which soon joins another
trail heading west down towards Hawkshead.
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5
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Negotiate
the paths and fields into Hawkshead itself
where, if you can drag yourself away from
the shops, cafés, pubs and other
attractions, lunch can be taken on a convenient
bench outside St
Michael and All Angels
church.
Sheltering
under an umbrella can be a great help.
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6
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Another
decision now needs to be taken.
There
is a logical route up round Hawkshead Moor
but if the rain persists, go out the back
of the church yard, along to Roger Ground
then drop down towards the road to the
west of the lake.
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7
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To minimise the effect of
the rain, run
along the road to the Loweswater Brewery.
Do
not be confused. Loweswater beer is
brewed at Hawkshead, not Loweswater. Hawkshead
beer is brewed in Staveley, not Hawkshead.
Where is Staveley beer brewed? Anyway,
be prepared for disappointment. It
is a micro brewery but not a pub.
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8
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Start
running again until you are back at the
Boathouse Café. Call in to
dry off and have another cup of tea. Alternatively
jump into your car and head for the Cuckoo
Brow Inn (formerly the Sawrey Hotel) for
a pint. Or another cup of tea if you
prefer.
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After
completing the BOOTboys
Esthwaite Round, you must now decide how much you intend
to offer for the 15 year rights.
Don't
forget, the auction is 15th November unless previously
sold so if you are very keen, it might be wise to have
a chat with the owner somewhat sooner.
Don,
23rd October 2013
The
Colour Supplement
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Esthwaite
Visitor Centre
Moss
Eccles Tarn
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The
walkway
Hawkshead
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Wise
Een Tarn
Fairfield
Horseshoe behind Latterbarrow
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Fine
Hawkshead House
Churchyard
delicacy
Comitibus
: Outside
Hawkshead Church
Ancient
slate walling
Shepherd's
wind
Me!
The
Cuckoo Brow Inn
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St
Michael and All Angels Church
Over
the rooftops
Inside
the church
Bijou
cottage
Broom
Riggs
Loweswater
brewery
Refuelling
the ferry
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| STATISTICS:
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BB1337
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| Date:
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Wednesday
23rd October 2013
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| Distance
in miles:
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7.9
(Garmin GPS)
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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953
(Memory Map / OS)
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| Features:
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Esthaite
Water
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| Comitibus:
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Don, James, Mike
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BOOTboys
routes are put online in gpx format which
should work with most mapping software. You can follow
our route in detail by downloading bb1337 .
To
discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
- although it may not be that up to date - see: Which
Wainwright When?
For the latest totals of the mileages and heights (ditto) see: BB Log.
Photos
have been gleaned from many sources although mostly
from me! Likewise written comment. Unless stated
otherwise, please feel free to download the material
if you wish.
A reference back to this website
would be appreciated but not essential.
.If I have
failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed
copyright, then I apologise.
. Please let me
know and I will do my best to put things right.
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by
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by
Spam Blocker:
help fight spam e-mail!
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boys
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##
For
the Index pages
of our various outings
click
on the relevant
link below:
Click on the photos
for an enlargement
or related large
picture.
Expostulation
and Reply
"Why,
William, on that old gray stone,
Thus for the length
of half a day,
Why, William, sit you thus alone,
And dream your time away?
"Where
are your books?
— that light bequeathed
To Beings
else forlorn and blind!
Up! up! and drink the spirit
breathed
From dead men to their kind.
"You
look round on your Mother Earth,
As if she for no
purpose bore you;
As if you were her first-born
birth,
And none had lived before you!"
One
morning thus, by Esthwaite lake,
When life was sweet,
I knew not why,
To me my good friend Matthew spake,
And thus I made reply:—
"The
eye—it cannot choose but see;
We cannot bid the
ear be still;
Our bodies feel, where'er they be,
Against or with our will.
"Nor
less I deem that there are Powers
Which of themselves
our minds impress;
That we can feed this mind of
ours
In a wise passiveness.
"Think
you, 'mid all this mighty sum
Of things forever
speaking,
That nothing of itself will come
But
we must still be seeking?
"Then
ask not wherefore, here, alone,
Conversing as I
may,
I sit upon this old gray stone,
And dream
my time away."
The
Prelude
Extract
from
Childhood and
School-time
Incessant rain was falling,
or the frost
Raged bitterly,
with keen and silent tooth;
And, interrupting oft
that eager game,
From under Esthwaite's
splitting fields of ice
The pent-up air,
struggling to free itself,
Gave out to meadow grounds
and hills
a loud
Protracted yelling,
like the noise
of wolves
Howling in troops
along the Bothnic Main
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