Imatges de pàgina
PDF

ances of Mauds Meaburn, Lowther, and Whitehaven, which came to him by different branches of the family. When a commoner, he was thirty years M. P. for Westmorland or Cumberland, and in 1761 was returned for both counties. He was also Lord Lieutenant of the two counties, an alderman of Carlisle, and succeeded to the two millions left by his kinsman, Sir James Lowther of Whitehaven, 1755. Of his immense wealth, the distribution of which by will was said to give universal satisfaction," a small portion in gold," L.50,000, was found in his houses.

Upon the death of the first Earl, the title of Viscount descended to his cousin, Sir William Lowther of Swillington, Bart., who, in 1807, was created an Earl. At his death, in 1842, he was succeeded in the possession of the title and estates by his eldest son, the present Earl.

Tourists whilst at Penrith will not fail to visit the romantic lake of

ULLESWATER,

and those who can bear the fatigue of lengthened excursions will be gratified by a ride to Hawes Water.

The former lake is generally viewed by tourists when travelling between Ambleside and Penrith, as the road between the two places passes along its northern shore. As, however, it is a general rule that lake scenery, in order to be seen to advantage, should be visited in a direction opposite to that in which the waters flow, it would be better to invert this order of approach. Two roads conduct from Penrith to Pooley Bridge, at the foot of the lake about six miles distant, both of which lead through a country abounding in picturesque scenery. One leaves the Keswick road two miles and a-half from Penrith, and, passing through Mr Hasell's park at Dalemain, reaches Ulleswater, three-quarters of a mile above Pooley Bridge. The other road leads along the Shap road to Eamont Bridge, shortly before reaching which, Carleton Hall is seen on the left. After crossing the bridge, by which Westmorland is entered, the first road on the right must be taken. In the angle of the field on the left at this deviation, is King Arthur's Round Table, and a little beyond on the right is Mayborough, both of which antique remains have been previously noticed. At Yanwath, two and a-half miles from Penrith, there are the ruins of an ancient Hall, formerly one of the "noble houses" of Sir Lancelot Threlkeld. The road, passing through Tirrel and Barton, ultimately arrives at Pooley Bridge, six miles from PenrithThe Eamont is crossed by a stone bridge upon issuing from Ulleswater. There are two small inns, at which boats upon the lake may be procured. On the west of the village is a steep and conical hill, clothed with wood, called Dunmallet, upon which there were formerly the vestiges of a Roman fortification. Winding walks lead to the summit, from which a fine view of the lake is commanded. About half a mile from Pooley, on the east side of the lake, is a villa named Eusemere, which for some time was the residence of the late Wil iam Wilberforce. From Pooley Bridge to Patterdale, a distance of ten miles

the road traverses the west margin of Ulleswater. The lake itself is nine miles in length, and is partitioned by the mountains into three separate chambers, or reaches, as they are locally termed, no two of which can be seen at once from any point near the margin. Its extreme width is about three-quarters of a mile. The first reach, commencing at the foot, is terminated on the left by Hallin Fell, which stretches forward to a promontory, from the opposite side called Skelley Neb, upon which stands Mr Marshall's house, Halsteads. The middle and longest reach is closed in by Birk Fell on the left, and on the right by Stybarrow Crag, far away above which " the dark brow of the mighty Helvellyn" rises into thin air. The little island, called House Holm, spots the water exactly at the termination of this section of the lake. The highest reach is the smallest and narrowest, but the mingled grandeur and beauty which surround it, are beyond the power of the liveliest imagination to depict. Four or five islands dimple the surface, and by their diminutive size impress more deeply upon the beholder the vastness of the hills which tower above them; Stybarrow Crag, and other offshoots from Helvellyn on one side, Birk Fell and Place Fell on the other, springing from the lake's margin almost at one bound, shut in this terrestrial paradise.

"Abrupt and sheer the mountains sink
At once upon the level brink."

Leaving Pooley Bridge by the high road, Waterfoot is passed on the right about mile from the bridge, and Rampsbeck Lodge, on the left, about two miles from the same place. A little further is the village of Watermillock. So far the lake has lain amongst somewhat tame scenery, but here promise is given of its coming grandeur. Halsteads, the seat of Wm. Marshall, Esq., is seen on the left,— the grounds circling which are beautifully laid out. The wood at the foot of Hallin Fell, on the other shore, has a pleasing effect. A mile from Halsteads, Gowbarrow Park is entered. This park, which contains upwards of a thousand acres, must attract the attention of the most careless observer, by its "grace of forest charms decayed," and innumerable sylvan groups of great beauty still remain, round which herds of deer will be seen bounding. It belongs to Henry Howard, Esq. of Greystoke Castle, to whom it was devised by Charles, 11th Duke of Norfolk, his uncle. The Duke's predecessor erected upon an eminence in the park a hunting-box in the castellated style, which is called Lyulph's Tower; it commands a splendid view of the lake. About five and a-half miles from Pooley Bridge, a stream is crossed by a small bridge, a mile above which, in a rocky dell, is a waterfall of considerable volume, called Airey Force. The banks of the stream, which are thickly sown with trees, become exceedingly precipitous as the cascade is approached. Two wooden bridges are thrown across the stream, one above, the other below, the fall. Glencoin Beck, issuing from Linking Dale Head, runs under the road a mile beyond Airey bridge, and forms the line of demarcation between Cumberland and Westmorland. The highest reach of the lake is now unfolded to the view. The road soon afterwards passes under Sty

barrow Crag, at which point it has been much widened,-formerly it was a narrow path between the steep mountain and the water's edge. An ancestor of the Mounseys of Goldrill Cottage acquired the title of King of Patterdale, from having successfully repulsed a body of Scotch moss-troopers at this place, with the aid of a few villagers. His residence was at that time Patterdale Hall, but a few years ago the patrimonial estate was sold to Mr Marshall of Leeds. The brook from Glenridding is then crossed. Helvellyn may be ascended from this valley, for which purpose a guide should be obtained at Patterdale. The path to the summit lies for a considerable distance by the side of Glenridding Beck, On the left is Glenridding House, Rev. Mr Askew ; Patterdale Hall is passed on the right, and the village of Patterdale is soon afterwards reached. The Churchyard, in which lie interred the remains of the unfortunate Charles Gough, contains a yew-tree of remarkable size. At the Inn, where there is excellent accommodation, guides may be had to any of the mountains in the vicinity, and boats procured for excursions upon the lake. A few days might be pleasantly spent at this place, in investigating the hidden beauties of the neighbourhood. There are innumerable nooks and shy recesses in the dells and by the lake, "Where flow'rets blow, and whispering Naiads dwell."*

which the leisurely wanderer has only to see in order to admire. An afternoon might be advantageously employed in visiting the islands, of which there are four: House Holm, standing at the mouth of the highest reach, Moss Holm, Middle Holm, and Cherry Holm. Place Fell Quarry, half a mile from the inn, is a good station for viewing the lake; and the walk to Blowick, two farm-houses under Place Fell, affords many charming prospects. A ramble of five or six miles may be taken into the retired valley of Martindale; nor would the hardy pedestrian have much difficulty in making his way over the Fells to Hawes Water. The summits of Helvellyn and High Street might be visited; both of which will repay the visitor for the toil he must necessarily incur, by the extensive views they command. The latter stands at the head of Kentmere :—its name, a strange one for a mountain, it acquired from the road which the Romans constructed over it. The traces of this road are yet visible. Its height is 2700 feet.

Ambleside is ten miles from Patterdale, the road leading over the steep pass of Kirkstone. A small inn, bearing the sign of "The Traveller's Rest," has lately been erected on the highest part of the pass, breaking in, with its mean associations, upon the solemn feelings which the surrounding solitude is calculated to inspire. In descending, Windermere and the valley of Ambleside are spread out like a map before the spectator.

HAWES WATER,

three miles long by half a mile broad, lies embosomed in lofty mountains, thirteen and a half miles north of Penrith. It is the property of the Earl of Lons

* HARTLEY COLERIDGE.

dale. The road best adapted for carriages is that by way of Shap; but the nearest and most picturesque road is that by way of Yanwath, Askham, Hejton, and Bampton. The latter road quits the Penrith and Pooley Bridge road at Yanwath; after leaving that village, it crosses what was formerly Tirrel and Yanwath Moor, to Askham, five miles from Penrith. Helton is rather more than a mile beyond, and Bampton is nearly four miles further. The grammar school at this village has been long in great repute. Shap, a straggling village on the mail road between Kendal and Penrith, is five miles distant. The road passes near the ruins of Shap Abbey, lying on the banks of the Lowther, now bare, but once occupied by a thick forest. This abbey, anciently called Heppe, was founded by Thomas, the son of Gospatrick, for monks of the Premonstratensian order, about the year 1150. It was dedicated to St Magdalen. Upon the dissolution, the abbey and manor were granted to Thomas Lord Wharton, from whose descendant, the Duke of Wharton, an ancestor of the Earl of Lonsdale, purchased them. The only part left standing is the church tower. From the vestiges of buildings yet visible, the abbey appears to have been extensive. In the vicinity of Shap are two of those rude structures to which no certain date can be assigned, and which are therefore usually referred to the primitive times of the Druids. Karl Lofts, the name of one, consists of two parallel lines of unhewn masses of granite, half a mile long by sixty or seventy feet broad, terminating at the south extremity in a small circle of similar blocks. Many of the granitic blocks have been barbarously carried off for building purposes, or some other" base use." At a place called Gunnerskeld Bottom there is a circle of large stones, thought to be a sepulchral cairn.

Returning to Bampton, the foot of Hawes Water is reached, a mile and a half beyond that village. The wild wood of Naddle Forest beautifully feathers the steeps of the east shore. Rather more than a mile from the foot of the lake, Fordendale brook is crossed near a few houses, called Measond Becks. The brook makes some pretty falls on the mountain side. A broad promontory enters the lake at this place, and approaches within 200 or 300 yards of the othe margin. The mountains surrounding the head of this lake present a magnificent contour. They consist of High Street and Kidsty Pike, with their nameless de pendencies. The little chapel of Mardale stands close to the road about a mile above the lake, and over against it is a neat white house, called Chapel Hill, the residence of a yeoman named Holme. The ancestor of this family came originally from Stockholm, and landed in England in the train of the Conqueror. He was rewarded with an estate in Northamptonshire, where the family were seated until the reign of King John, at which period, its head, flying from his enemies, concealed himself in a cavity (to this day called Hugh's cave) in one of the hill sides. The estate on which his descendant resides was purchased by the fugitive. Having wound round a rocky screen, a few houses, called colleo

tively Mardale Green, (amongst which there is a small inn,) are seen thinly sown over the floor of the narrow valley. Harter Fell closes in this level area on the south-lofty mountains rise on the east and west, and contribute to make this as perfect a solitude as can well be conceived. The pedestrian will find a road over the pass of Gatescarth, which reaches Kendal by the vale of Longsleddale, fifteen miles from Mardale Green. From Mardale the rambler might ascend High Street, or cross the Martindale Fells to Patterdale, at the head of Ulleswater.

MOUNTAINS.

THE mountains best known and most usually ascended by tourists are-Scawfell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Coniston Old Man, and Langdale Pikes, Guides can be procured at any of the neighbouring inns, who, for a moderate compensation, will conduct strangers to the summit by the least circuitous path; and being generally intelligent persons, will point out and name those objects most worthy of notice, which are visible on the ascent or from the highest point. Fine clear days should be selected for an expedition of this kind, as well for the advantage of having an extensive prospect, as for safety. Mists and wreaths of vapour, capping the summits of mountains, or creeping along their sides, are beautiful objects when viewed from the lowly valley; but when the wanderer becomes surrounded with them on the hills, they occasion anything but agreeable sensations, and have not unfrequently led to serious accidents. A pocket compass will be found useful in discovering the tourist's position with reference to the surrounding scenery, and a telescope in bringing within view the more distant parts of it. A flask containing brandy, which may be diluted at the springs on the way, will be found no unnecessary burden. With these preliminary observations, we shall proceed to describe the mountains we have named above.

SCAWFELL.

THE aggregation of mountains called collectively Scawfell, which stand at the head of Wastdale, form four several summits bearing separate names. The most southerly of the four is Scawfell, (3100) feet; the next is Scawfell Pikes, (3160 feet); Lingmell, of considerably inferior elevation, is more to the west, forming a sort of buttress for the support of the loftier heights; and Great End is the advanced guard on the north, having its aspect towards Borrowdale. The whole mass is composed of a species of hard dark slate. The Pikes, being the

« AnteriorContinua »