Lake Windermere, at the southern end of the Lake District, is the largest natural lake in England, over 10 miles long by a mile wide. It is what's known as a ribbon lake: a long, thin stretch of water sitting in a trough gouged out by glaciers in the Ice Age, which then filled with meltwater when the ice retreated. There are three small towns around the lake - Ambleside, Bowness and Windermere - and the area is extremely popular with tourists. The lake is very crowded with boats - over 10,000 registered there! In addition there are ferries and pleasure cruisers making frequent tours.
I stopped off there on my way up to the North Lakes, just to have a look around. As you can see, the sky was dark and there was heavy rain most of the afternoon. In the end I retreated indoors.... to visit a wonderful house called Blackwell, built in 1900 in the Arts and Crafts style by M H Baillie Scott, as a holiday home for a wealthy Manchester brewery owner, Sir Edward Holt. It's absolutely delightful, a real joy; wonderfully preserved and exquisite in the detailing. As a bonus, there was an excellent exhibition of beautiful and evocative photos of the house. (No photos on this blog. I didn't take many because there was no light outside and photography wasn't allowed inside. I might put a couple on my other blog in time.) If you're interested, take a look at the website or, better still, visit if you can - I highly recommend it.
The name itself conjures up so many beautiful images in my head...
ReplyDeleteThe sky gives a great feeling to your picture. Even if you wouls have prefered a sunnier day.
ReplyDeleteLovely shot even on a dull day. I love the squiggly reflections. It surely is a beautiful place. We stayed nearby in Keswick on our last trip there. We went for a launch trip on the lake while our daughter and SIL went hiking up the hills. I didn't see Blackwell house but we visited the Columbia pencil factory.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely visit that area if I could. It's one of the top England spots on my list. That's a beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Lake District on TV, what a beautiful place ! I always appreciate my sightseeing tours with you !
ReplyDeleteExcellent sky editing. Here in our area of Canada we have similar lakes. They are called Arrow Lakes!
ReplyDeleteThe sky does look very threatening. You caught some lovely reflections in the water!
ReplyDeleteIts a few years now since I've been to Windermere. I see no-one has yet pointed out the tautology in the name. A mere is a lake so the word lake is redundant. Someone told me off about it and I did a post What's in a name but nivver mind it's a lovely place if a bit too busy at times.
ReplyDeleteI used to lead walking groups in the Lake District. Went to lots of wonderful places, but withone eye on the map, one eye on the weather, one eye on the rocky path, one eye on the people loitering at the back of the group etc etc, I never managed to get around to taking photos. Looking forward to more of your suberb pictures.
ReplyDeleteGerald, I suppose people say LAKE Windermere to distinguish it from the town of the same name.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully composed photograph. I love the clean white boats standing ready for summer!
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I really like this photograph, Jenny. It is very sharp, the composition is good, and the lighting is special. The Lake District has been on my list for a long time but I have never made it yet. Maybe in the next couple of years . . .
ReplyDeleteI love the reflections in this photo :)
ReplyDeleteI love this photo. Water has metallic texture and reflection of poles and boats are fantastic. I prefer this photo to one under blue clear sky. A little melancholy, and so exquisite!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend.
Wow that's a lot of boats to be registered there! Very striking with all the white boats lined up against the backdrop of that darkened and dramatic sky. ~Lili
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