Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
arguably Lakeland's finest lake close by, the village pursues life placidly, keeping sac-
rosanct its typical Lakeland characteristics. One such characteristic, as Frank Singleton,
author of The English Lakes , put it, is that it 'establishes a great hold on the affections
of those who visit it… there is everything here from the silence of the lake and the
lonely places among the hills to the busy humanity of the village.'
Many of these remote villages were often presided over by one family. In Patterdale
it was the Mounseys, described as the 'kings' of Patterdale, who lived at Patterdale Hall,
now extensively rebuilt, but dating from around 1677. Even among such local 'royalty'
all was not sweetness and light, however, for Dorothy Wordsworth, in her journal for
21 December 1801, gives a little insight into life at Patterdale Hall, writing, 'When we
were at Thomas Ashburner's on Sunday Peggy talked about the Queen of Patterdale.
She had been brought to drinking by her husband's unkindness and avarice. She was
formerly a very nice tidy woman. She had taken to drinking but that was better than
if she had taken to something worse (by this I suppose she meant killing herself). She
said that her husband used to be out all night with other women and she used to hear
him come in the morning, for they never slept together…'.
Patterdale to Shap
Distance
24km (15 miles)
Height Gain
762m (2500 feet)
The great upland mass of the High Street range stands between Patterdale and the
end of the next day at Shap, a kind of 'sleeping policeman' before the Lake District
finally releases its hold and allows the walk to head for Yorkshire. Obligingly, this sec-
tion puts all the hard work into the first half, allowing a less demanding conclusion in
which to appreciate the gradual change of scenery that heralds the approach to Shap
and the margins of limestone country.
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