England’s Countryside

After many years I went back to England. For Cindy, it was her first time exploring the countryside. The English countryside hasn’t changed since I was last there. It’s still breathtaking.

Add this to the ‘paradise’ list for outdoor lovers and hikers. The scenery, with its rolling hills and mountains, glistening lakes, and ancient woodlands is beautiful. It’s a pleasure trying to catch the moment with the camera in the rapidly changing light.

We drove in our rental car to Lake District. The Northern part of the District is about 300 miles (480km) North of London. That is enough time to get used to driving on the left side of the road. Although it took Cindy longer to figure out which side of the car to get in.

We stayed in the charming town of Keswick and hiked in the hills around it. In the Lake District, the 2-way roads can be so narrow and curvy with both sides framed by stone walls that often you had to negotiate oncoming traffic. I love situations like this. It’s fun backing up using the left and right side mirrors, up the hill, around a curve, down a hill, until you find a spot wide enough to let someone pass.

Driving and hiking in the countryside of England puts you in a different world. A world of no honking and no sounds. The hills and lush green meadows are surrounded by the characteristic dry-stone walls. Sheep are all over. And the sky is amazing. Because of the abundance of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds, the light constantly changes. You can inhale the beauty of nature and wildlife.

The hikes are also rewarding because there are no forests hiding the view. Wherever you go, you can see for miles and miles.

From Lake District, we drove through Wales. Wales is another stunning country with scenic places to visit. It also happens that in Wales is a village with the longest name in the world. It is maybe not the best place to have an address. Probably half the mail wouldn’t make it to the letterbox.

The name is Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwllllantysilio­gogo­goch. In Welch, town names mean something. In this case, it means “St Marys Church In The Hollow Of The White Hazel Near To The Rapid Whirlpool Of Llantysilio Of The Red Cave.”

In the southern part of Wales lies Brecon Beacons National park. It is the home of mountains and moorland, standing stones, castles, waterfalls and wildlife. One morning we hiked early to the top of Pen-y-Fan and were rewarded with a stunning 360-degree view.

There are also many hidden places you only find out while doing some research. Some are so hidden that you have to ask yourself while driving “okay this goes nowhere, well I guess we missed it” when suddenly a small sign tells you that you arrived at SGWD CLUN-GWYN. You park your car and walk for about 30 minutes when unexpectedly, the sound of a beautiful waterfall fills the air. You take out the tripod, mount your camera and you are in the moment. You see lovely small flowers, within an unusual stone formation. You hear the sound of a bird and follow the flight from one branch to a flower to a small pond of water. To me taking pictures is seeing the world beautifully.

From Wales, we visited Exmoor. It has unspoiled woodlands and cute English villages. In Lynton is the Cliff Railway. It was built in 1888 and connects Lynton with Lynmouth with an altitude difference of 900 feet (300m). It works on a simple balancing principle. Each car has a 700 gallon (3200 Liters) tank. While water is discharged from the lower car, the heavier top car descends, thus pulling the lower car up the cliff. The cars are connected via cables. It brings you back in history and when people were pioneers.

From Exmoor, we drove back via the city of Bath and Oxford to London.

If you are reading this and have come so far, I encourage you to plan a trip to England and enjoy one of the most beautiful landscape, beer, wine, and food. Yes, the food was excellent as well.

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