Castlerigg and Buttermere, then Woodstock

The weather on Thursday was just like Wednesday, nice but threatening. We first drove a short distance to the Castlerigg Stone Circle. Seventy percent of Britain's stone circles are in Cumbria and this is one of the best. It's not as massive as Stonehenge nor as expansive as Avebury but is an excellent example of this ancient practice. It is located along a remote single track road on a windswept hilltop.





We then drove to the village of Buttermere on a road over the hills and through the Newlands Valley--this route offers the same kind of jaw-dropping, oh-my-god vistas you get driving coastal Highway One. The road is curvy and narrow (often single track) and makes the Pacific Coast Highway seem like a walk in the park (the guide book describes it as "challenging").






We parked at the Fish Hotel (one of two in town, there's nothing else here). There is a four mile "stroll" around the lake on a relatively flat trail, but our aches and pains from yesterday prevented us from experiencing the entire thing, so a short walk had to satisfy us. There are waterfalls and streams emptying into the lake through verdant, steep hillsides. It's hard to envision a more beautiful setting.

We then exited the Lake District through the Honister Pass on a road like the one we took to get here and it was every bit as beautiful. It is hard to describe just how picturesque and beautiful this area is, and we kept wishing we had the photographic equipment and skill to do it justice. If you visit England and have a couple of days free, the Lake District is a "must see" destination.



Back down the A591 and M6 for four hours and we arrived in the small town of Woodstock near Oxford. It is an eighteenth century town and is quite lovely; it is a tourist destination because of Blenheim Palace but it has been kept free of tacky shops, probably because it is such an expensive area in which to live and buy property. We stayed at the Townhouse B&B (right in the middle of the main town area, which consists of two streets, and a short walk from the palace) after having an excellent dinner at the Kings Arms. While our host, Ed, prepared breakfast for us the next morning in the kitchen/breakfast room, we had one of the most interesting conversations we've had since we got here with him, in terms of getting a feel for what it's like to live and work in Great Britain.