Orrest Head
The Lake District vista that created a publishing phenomenon and sold two million books
“Konnichiwa!”
“Hello.” I smiled. The young Japanese couple slipped past me, arm in arm, along their return path to Windermere.
I’d barely taken two more steps when another couple dropped through the trees in the late evening light.
“Bonjour!” they chimed, in unison.
There is an international air in Windermere. It’s a popular arrival point for most tourists visiting The Lake District, the UK’s most visited national park, in the north west of England.
While many come by car, Windermere has a railway station, which is also served by several excellent bus services. I once had a fantastic week-long holiday here using only public transport.
But it was from here, in 1930, that a young 23-year-old man by the name of Alfred Wainwright alighted with his cousin, having caught the bus from Blackburn for a week’s holiday.
The first thing they did was climb Orrest Head. I’m not surprised, because the footpath sets off from beside The Windermere…
