Final Day in the Lakes District - Grasmere, Keswick

On our final day in the Lakes District we travelled to Grasmere and then Keswick.
Thanks again, Wikipedia : "...Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets. The poet William Wordsworth, who lived in Grasmere for fourteen years, described it as "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found". .." 

Here is the village of Grasmere:

 Naturally we had to buy some of the world famous Grasmere gingerbread, sold nowhere else in the world except in Grasmere. Same recipe for 150 years.....and very moorish!

 Just up the hill from Grasmere is Allan Bank house....poor Emily needed some help; then later so did Dad! Some details about Allan Bank House, from http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

"...Opened to the public for the first time ever in March 2012, Allan Bank is a place to relax in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea while the children play. Once home to William Wordsworth and National Trust founder Canon Rawnsley, Allan Bank was rescued from the ravages of fire in 2011. Now partially restored and undecorated, the house offers you the opportunity to see and touch the many layers of this home's fascinating history..."

 The view from some of the windows...

 The tree swing in front of Allan Bank house:

 Artists at work in Allan Bank house, capturing the beautiful views through the windows...

 Back in the Grasmere village, we stopped at William Wordsworth grave on the way out:

After leaving Grasmere we drove to Keswick, which was very busy, with lots of tourists, and also many dogs, of all shapes and sizes.  When were browsing in a book shop I asked the proprietor about all the dogs. She believed it was because there are boarding kennels in Keswick, so people bring their dogs on holiday, board them in the Keswick kennels but also take them out for walks in and around Keswick.

On the way back to Windermere we visited an amazing farm house, Townend, dating from the 1500's., belonging to the same family for over 400 years, the Brownes family. Truly amazing to see the farmhouse much the same as it was, with many of the furnishings bearing carved dates, some from the 1600s.