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The Wordsworth Walk begins! And the sheep may safely graze...
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Rydal Hall -- situated near Wordsworth's home, Rydal Mount. Built in the 16th century and home to the le Fleming family, the house is now a conference center and retreat owned by the Diocese of Carlisle.
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Rydal Hall
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This is the view as you walk up the hill to the house. The sky was so vivid that day!
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The dining area
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The sitting room
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Another view of the sitting room.
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The staircase to the bedrooms
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Wordsworth's bedchamber was pretty swanky.
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Another bedroom
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Apparently Wordsworth had an impression made of his face when he was past middle age, and recently (?) someone created a portrait from it. I found this fascinating, mostly because I thought at first it was death mask.
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A view of the house from the garden.
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View of Rydal Water from the garden.
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A friendly ginger cat in the garden at Rydal Mount. He was accompanied by two lovely ladies, but it was clear to me he was the authority figure of the group.
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Now we go back in time to the home shared by Wordsworth and sister Dorothy in their younger days. The cottage was acquired by the Wordsworth Trust in 1890 and is a Grade I listed building. Adjacent to it is the Wordsworth Museum, which is pretty spiffy.
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We were given a tour to the house by a young docent from America!
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Obviously the earlier house is much smaller and less elegantly furnished, but I thought it was wonderfully cosy.
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Front parlor
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Modest Kitchen
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Pantry/Larder?
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Work station for poets and memoirists.
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The beds are so tiny.
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Maybe this was son John's bed?
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I always imagine Dorothy getting the worst bed in whatever house they're living in. This one looks pretty grim.
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We walked up a hill to get a view of the house.
