Hill Top

This is the Lake District in England.

We drove through this kind of rain to see Beatrix Potter's home. 

The picture with all of us is Hill Top in the Lake District. It's where Beatrix Potter lived after becoming a famous author.  It was really neat to visit there and see the original furnishings, artwork, and decor she had back then. We walked through the house, while holding one of her books titled Samuel Whiskers, and saw illustrations of actual places in the house.  The kids loved finding the inspirations for her drawings. People were dressed up in clothes from that period as well. 

When we first tried to make our way to Hill Top the day before, it was pouring buckets outside. We had three measly umbrellas, or brawleys, as they call them in England and each had our wellies. Shawn didn't though, which meant soaking wet feet, but he never complained. He usually doesn't because of his mild-mannered nature. When I asked him later why he didn't complain, he said, "What's the point"? I thought to myself and then proclaimed, "I don't know, it just feels good to do that sometimes".  It really doesn't help anything if you think about it.

Anyway, right before we got out of the van, our GPS took us to a landing that had ferries going across to the other side. We had no idea that we had to cross Lake Windermere to get to Hill Top. We proceeded on with a new destination programmed in the GPS and continued to drive. That's when we got out of the van with our 3 umbrellas for 7 people and trudged onward to catch a different boat. We were soaked by the time we inquired about how to get to see what we had come to see. It would have also cost us quadruple or more to get on the boat and then get on a minibus to our final stop. Hill Top. 

Our kids, bless their hearts, all had good attitudes considering things weren't working out as expected. We did end up going to a 3rd place set in the GPS which was William Wordsworth House another hour away. That will have to be in a different post.

Shawn and I planned on leaving the next day if the rain continued. But, behold, the sun was shining when we woke up. We all got ready and punched in those numbers again in our GPS, and off we were. We were determined to show our kids a place so many people had recommended. Being a homeschool family, it was the perfect place to learn a great deal from.

At Hill Top, we ended our tour at the souvenir shop. Of course! Since our family loves books, we amassed a small collection of Beatrix Potter books, a movie on her life titled, Miss Potter, which Rene Zellwiger starred in, and some stationery to add to my stash. The movie, by the way, was extremely well done. We all enjoyed it immensely. I would highly recommend it. 

The Lake District in England is a gorgeous place to see. If ever you happen to travel to England, make it a point to go there. It's breathtaking! God has made beautiful places for us to experience. 

There was some serious joy in that journey!