Driving to the Lake District

After two lovely days in Scotland, it was time to start the journey to England.  We spent the entire day driving from Edinburgh to the Lake District in England.  We made quite a few stops along the way to help break up the drive.  At one stop I bought a blanket to keep me warm on the freezing bus, a warm cup of tea and some gluten free shortbread, and that's how you road trip in Europe.

For part of the drive, we were paralleling Hadrian's Wall and we made a stop to get a closer look.  Hadrian's Wall is a spectacular World Heritage Site, marching 73 miles from sea to sea across some of the wildest and most dramatic country in England.  

After a few more hours of driving, it was time for lunch.  We had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch in the charming home of Giles and Penelope, a fantastic English couple who have been inviting Tauck guests into their home for over 20 years.  This humble abode has been in Giles' family for generations, and has always been passed down to the eldest son of the future generation. 

Their home is absolutely stunning.  We had a cold lunch buffet, all prepared by Penelope.  Our group was divided into two, half of us dined with Giles, while the other spent the meal with Penelope.  I had the privilege of sitting next to Giles as he lead our group in a lively discussion.  Giles was the stereotypical British gentleman, dressed in a tweed suit, he had a formal English accent and would say English terms such a cheerio and right on good boy.  He had rosy cheeks and brilliant blue eyes, I felt like I was sitting next to a famous film star!

After lunch and tea, Giles and Penelope led us on a tour of the grounds behind their home.  Their estate is rather large, and the gardens were marvelous!  They had herds of cattle and sheep that were out grazing in the fields.

This was their lively little pup.  He desperately wanted all of us to play fetch with him.  He would gather all sorts of things from around the garden for us to throw for him.  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to play fetch with him because it gets him too excited then he starts biting people.  He sure was adorable though!

Such a classic picture of some of my favorite people.  Our tour guide Clinton Scott III, our sweet bus driver Joe, and our gracious host Giles.

After lunch, we drove for yet a few more hours... the drive was really beginning to feel long at this point.  We had one more rest stop before arriving at our hotel, we got about an hour to explore the itty bitty adorable town of Grasmere.  This charming place is famous for it's gingerbread!

Then it was back on the bus for the rest of the drive to our hotel.  Our Lake District hotel was located on a National Park, so the drive was absolutely breath taking.

Finally, after hours upon hours of driving, we arrived at our oasis of a hotel.  For some reason I was exhausted, and opted to not go down to dinner.  I wrapped myself in my hotel robe and cozied up in my bed and enjoyed a very relaxing evening.