15. Rugby; Walking to Cambridge; Lake District

Sunday 15 March.  Dreary, wet day.  Went to St. John's for the Riddell Rugby Tournament.  Food and drinks and games till 5:30.  Robert showed great effort in the final of four games.  He was in tears, but everyone complimented him on his effort.  Greene King beer.  Home for Lovejoy and Maigret.

Monday 16 March.  Car Serviced.  Walked to Cambridge from Sawston, through Great Shelford, stopping at Trumpington Church, Byron's pool, a little over eight miles.  Took the bus back later to pick up the car, which then broke down on the Motorway.  The dip stick wrapped around the pulley after belts broke. 

Tuesday 17 March.  Spoke with Father Forrester and Mrs. Bartoli in Rome after making arrangements for a flat in Tuscany and hotel in Bruges for Easter vacation.  She will arrange for a pensione in Rome.  Hilary worked on Best Western reservations for Milano, Basel and Munich.  Bomb scare at Waitrose parking lot.  I had to leave the rented car there!  Took the train to Cambridge for Form 1 and Group II Parents night, St. John's 7 - 9 p.m. 

 Wednesday 18 March.   Cathy, Thomas and I had lunch in Fitchingfield.  We saw it on Lovejoy on Sunday.  Form 4 Parents night, St. John's 7 - 9 p.m. 

Friday 20 March.  Weekend Coleridge Course.  I leave Saffron Walden at 9 a.m. in my rental car (right hand drive with stick shift) and head north, across country and on the Motorway for the Lake District.  I arrived at Grasmere at three o'clock and visit Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home as a young man.  It literally is a cottage: small and dark and cozy, not much to speak of in terms of homes. 

The Lake District

I am surprised at how dramatic and beautiful the scenery is!  I arrived at Higham Hall (308 miles) at 5:10 p.m. for my Coleridge classes.  The first class begins at 7:45 this evening and lasts until 9:15.  The group consists mostly of retired people.  My room is a single, with toilet and shower down the hall.  The house and grounds are magnificent, an old manor house, with a commanding view to the east across a lake, sitting in the valley below, to mountains.

Highham Hall

Saturday 21 March.  Very windy last night.  After morning classes, I drive to the nearby town of Cockermouth (Wordsworth's birthplace) in the afternoon.  There I call home to learn that Robert went to the emergency room last night after injuring his shin on the stairs.  He's in crutches!  On my return to Higham Hall I go for a twenty minute run up the hill past the sheep in the fields, then return for classes.  Our location is well set up for weekend continuing education courses.  The rooms and kitchen are sparsely furnished, but the drawing rooms are nice and cozy, and there is a small wood paneled bar in the back.  I have nice visits with my fellow students at the bar and in the dining rooms as well.  I attend evening classes again.

Sunday 22 March.  I attend morning classes.  After dismissal at noon I head west to the coast (Maryport).  There isn't much to see but a lot of seagulls and a big bay, and after a quick stop I take the scenic way back, over the hills, past the grazing sheep (everywhere are sheep), stopping occasionally for some spectacular views.  As usual, the ice cream truck is set up at the roadside viewing area.  My next stop is Rydall Mount, Wordsworth's final home.  It is not at all like Dove Cottage, but rather a large home with beautiful grounds (including a long pathway at the top of the garden, overlooking the lake, where Wordsworth would walk back and forth and compose poetry).  Through my class I learned that Coleridge used to walk from one end of these valleys to the other to visit Wordsworth and talk about poetry!  After an hour and a half visit, I leave at three and am home by nine (337 miles).

Skiddaw

The Lake District!

The Irish Sea at Maryport