Potter and Pottery

We had planned to stay home and relax the following today - but when we woke up to bright sunshine and warm temperatures, we decided to strike while the iron was hot and head out for another full day.

Our first stop wasn't too far from where we're staying.  Wetheriggs Craft Centre joins a bunch of artists and their wares under one roof. Visitors can come and walk through and watch the artists at work while browsing their shop.  The shops we walked through were Pots and Pine and Romantic Ceramic (this was my favourite).  The Centre also has an animal rescue centre and a newt pond.  They also have the original beehive kiln which was massive.  The place is steeped in history and it was a treat to get to read about some of it.  We merely scratched the surface of the activities offered at the centre but I was pretty excited to get to see Peter Rabbit.

We arrived at Bowness-on-Windemere without much difficulty, but getting a parking space for the museum was like running a gauntlet.  The museum was fun and really well done and through the eyes of a 7-year-old, would have been absolutely magical.  They had scenes from the stories recreated throughout the tour and provided some info on Beatrix Potter, her life, her love of animals and the English countryside.  Quite a few of her stories were written in picture letters to her nieces and nephews and many others were based on animals she kept on her little farm.  She did in fact, have a Peter Rabbit, a Benjamin Bunny, a Jemima Puddleduck, and the two bad mice. 

In order to maximize the use of our beautiful parking spot, we spent some time walking around the town, eating ice cream cones with Cadbury Flakes stuck in them, and eating fish and chips (yet again) down by the lake.  Isaiah had fun sitting and playing on the grassy hillside, although it made sitting up a bit interesting because of the steep slope.

We took a different road home which was quite an adventure.  We never got lost, but British roads are scary.  Although they are supposedly wide enough for two cars, they really only fit about one and a half.  The drive allowed us to see the beauty that is the Lake District, but the roads are winding and hilly and don't allow an inch on either side.  This, however, does not seem to bother Brits one bit.  They don't slow down at all for oncoming traffic and aren't concerned about blind corners or frightened tourists.