Day 7: Miles & miles & miles

Today being Sunday I planned to attend church at the only Church of England parish in town named, appropriately enough, St. Mary’s! Then I thought that after breakfast I’d have a lazy morning puttering around town followed by lunch and a nap. I managed church and breakfast, but the sun was shining today and the temperature was perfect for walking so I ditched my plans for a sedentary day. And I walked. Then walked. Then walked some more.

First I walked up to the Stock Ghyll Waterfall here in Ambleside, then I walked alongside the River Rothay (see above) and over to the remains of a Roman fort. But the best part of my hiking adventure was taking a launch across Lake Windermere (the largest lake in Britain) and embarking on a three-hour hike up and along a ridge high above the lake. At one point the guide book I had noted that one part of the trail included a ten-minute climb followed by an “unrelenting” twenty-minute ascent. Yikes! The book’s author was NOT kidding.

Shortly after that, however, I entered church for the second time today. Atop the ridge the path passes through a stand of ash trees, and it felt like I was entering a cathedral: a space that was holy and vibrant with the presence of God. A little while later I saw view after view after view of the lake and the surrounding towns and fells (or mountains), and each view was more spectacular than the last. The climb, for all the aches I will no doubt experience tomorrow, was worth every step.

And now for today’s luggage update. I have none. Still. Even the one bag they claim to have found has yet to be delivered (though the website I can check indicates it will be delivered on Tuesday). The other bag — the one with all MY stuff in it! — has yet to reappear. One of the B&B’s owners suggested I take to Twitter to make my complaint about British Airways because she and her husband have gotten swift responses and positive resolutions of service-oriented complaints they’ve had. We’ll see if it works for me.

Finally: a comment on comments. At the bottom of each of my posts is a “Comment” link. I would welcome your comments as you view my blog, so please feel free to click away if you would like to respond in any way. Thanks!