Lake District Literature

Now, that’s a fair way from Grasmere, in every sense of the word, although one of the charms of the Lake District is its compactness. And you don’t mind criss-crossing back and forwards, because you get to see more of it. So it didn’t seem long before we were pulling into the centre of Kendal, then tumbling out to see what it had to offer. Which was an awful lot, with tempting little shops in the warren of narrow lanes and yards that lead off the main street. The Brewery wasn’t quite what I’d expected. It was, in fact, The Brewery Arts Centre. A bitter disappointment to the thirsty traveller? Far from it. The one hundred and fifty year old building serves up a heady mix of theatre, music, films, lectures and exhibitions and is genuinely the hub of the town. The weekend I was there Kendal was even playing host to a rock festival, headlined by Zutons, Ash, and The Streets.

“Intoxicated by The Brewery and Kendal itself, I took the short hike to another famous venue in these parts. Abbot Hall dates back to Norman times, though the present house on the site is a handsome Georgian villa, with an equally handsome collection of British and European paintings and sculptures. Rambling my way there, I couldn’t turn a corner without bumping into people festooned with climbing paraphernalia. Were they, I wondered, all in preparation for the Kendal Mountain Festival? If so, they didn’t need all that kit, because it’s an event that revolves around documentaries about mountaineering, taking place in November and attracting serious summit-scalers from all over the world.”

My own travels weren’t quite as long haul. Up to Keswick, just in time for the first act at the Theatre by the Lake, about which the Daily Express wrote: “There is surely no lovelier nor more dramatic setting for a theatre in Britain’.  After the final curtain, I made an entrance at The Pheasant Inn to drink in five hundred years of history. Its most famous regular was John Peel, the man you had to ken (I’m not sure what this means) at the break of day with his hounds and his horn. I wouldn’t be getting out of bed early for anyone, I thought. Not after enjoying a Sheep Dip at the beautiful Appleby Manor Country Hotel, where I was staying the night. No, not what you’re thinking, but one of the hotel’s famed whiskeys, which made a perfect nightcap. Little did I know that tomorrow, I would be startled in the woods by some of the most bizarre creatures I had ever encountered.

Next day, my nose following a delicious aroma, I went downstairs to a perfectly cooked full English breakfast. Wonder if Griff Rhys Jones, who stayed here recently whilst filming, enjoyed his stay as much as I did? Given its location, this place makes an ideal base for exploring not only the Lakes, but the Yorkshire Dales and the secret delights of the Northern Pennines beloved of poet WH Auden. And what some think is the whole county’s undiscovered gem, the Eden Valley, a rural paradise of gentle walking, great eating and Anthony Goldsworthy’s unique sculpture features rebuilt from traditional sheepfolds.