English Countryside

Adventure In England: Final Episode

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Oh boy, folks; prepare yourselves, this is going to be a long one.

On our second to last full day in England, we went for a long hike, starting in Windermere and winding our way through farms and over the hills in the Lake District. The morning started with a prediction (100% chance, in fact) for rain starting later in the morning, but we decided to brave it and get out there anyway.  

The clouds (and humidity) started to slowly roll in as we neared our lunch destination in Troutbeck, but luckily they still held off on producing any moisture. If anything they added to the incredible views, creating a much different, and moodier, type of atmosphere for our hike. 

Our pitstop for lunch was at The Mortal Man, where we enjoyed some simple sandwiches on incredibly fresh and delicious bread, and of course, local beer. The Mortal Man has been in existence since 1689, making it even more incredible that we were eating lunch on their grounds. 

After lunch we continued on, starting out on Nanny Lane. It was kind of surreal walking on that country lane, as I imagine it hasn't changed much in quite a long time, and countless people have walked it before us.

Eventually we ventured off the lane and made our way up the hills, crossing over the old stone walls as we went. It is mind-boggling how many miles of those walls must exist, zig-zagging all over the countryside, and how they were all built by hand over the years. 

We ended the day in Ambleside, after hiking close to 10 miles. Ambleside was a beautiful little (albeit touristy) town, with some stunning homes, and of course lots of history. We wandered around a little bit, treated ourselves to a beer at one of the pubs, and then ice cream and fudge at a local shop as well. We even stopped at the Roman Ruins that are in Ambleside, which was absolutely amazing to see. 

After all that, we began the walk to the bus stop and the moment we stepped onto the bus the skies opened up, letting loose a full downpour. The timing couldn't have been a second better, and even put a nice exclamation point on the end of our time in the Lake District. 

The next morning we jumped on yet another train, this time for a long ride headed to London. We had that evening to see the sites in London, though I didn't bring my camera with for that adventure. If you want to see images from that, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@aithom2), where I will be posting some images over the next few days. 

Adventure In England: Part One

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This post is long, long overdue (as most of them have been, I suppose). But as the saying goes, "better late than never," so here we are!

This past July Scott and I went to England for roughly three weeks, with the bulk of our trip being spent in the Exeter area (with plenty of trips to the surrounding towns). We are lucky enough to have friends in Exeter who are extremely hospitable and allowed us to stay with them for most of our stay. Staying with friends not only made the trip more affordable but also provided us with some amazing views and experiences, as we were right in the heart of the city and got "tours" from the locals. The two photos below were taken our first night there, and needless to say it was an amazing introduction to Exeter.

Our second night in England was just as amazing, if not more so. After a home cooked meal, we drove to Topsham to get drinks at a pub called The Passage House Inn. Walking through the narrow streets was such a treat for me, and I quickly fell in love with the architecture of the area. The golden evening light certainly helped with the romantic feel of it all. We were treated to perfect weather that night, allowing us to sit outside and be treated to a fully spectacular sunset over the River Exe. 

Our first weekend in England was also all too perfect. On Saturday we went on a hike that was nothing short of stunning. We started on the coast in Wembury, continued through some rolling farms (all the while with views of Wembury Bay), crossed the River Yealm in a water taxi, and ended at The Ship Inn in Noss Mayo. The color of the water there was an unreal turquoise; it was absolutely unexpected for England. We ate a simple, fresh lunch outside at The Ship Inn while watching the tide come in. It was truly a magical day. 

Next up: Shockingly, part two of our England trip! Featuring the second part of our epic first weekend, though with drastically different scenery, and loads more as well.