Leaping Across the Pond: February 2014

From the 14th to 16th of February I took a trip with the Psychology Department here at Leeds to the Lake District! I heard that this was one place that you had to go to. I'm certainly glad I did.

Twenty-four of us from the department (mostly undergrads but a few Ph.D. students as well) took a 2 hour bus ride to the Lake District. The coach bus was nice and comfy, although there wasn't much room to store our luggage inside. I wish I had put my travel backpack in the storage area under the bus, because it got heavy on my lap very quickly. Halfway into the trip, the bus also became very, very warm, so much so that everyone was uncomfortable. Thankfully, we all made it to the Lake District without anyone passing out, etc.

We stayed at the Langdale Youth Hostel during our weekend trip, but because the path up to the hostel was too narrow, the bus had to drop us off at the foot of the hill. However, we did not have to hike uphill with all of our luggage, as the hostel had a truck with a trailer to lug all of our stuff up the hill. After loading our belongings onto the trailer, our group hiked up to the hostel, enjoying the scenery as we went.

I was pleasantly surprised with my first hostel experience. We had the whole hostel rented out for our group, so it was nice to not have to share rooms with random strangers (although in the beginning we were all strangers). Alyssa and I picked a room that had not been claimed yet, and a couple more people joined us as well. Since most of our group members had filled up the two of the larger communal bedrooms, we basically had a huge room full of beds to ourselves. This was nice as we each got our own bunk bed and were able to spread out. Here are some pictures of the hostel interior and the bedroom I stayed in:

On Saturday (15th) we were able to pick from a couple of hike options. Alyssa and I decided to go on the longer walk, along with one of our roommates, Evaleen. We were the only undergraduates out of our group who chose the longer hike. (Go us!) There were a few Ph.D. students who went on the walk as well, along with a couple adult leaders. I didn't take too many pictures during the hike, since the weather wasn't permitting photography that day (unless I wanted to ruin my camera...). However, I took a few shots at the beginning of the hike:

From here on, the weather got pretty ugly. At first it was just wind, which is typical for England. And then the rain came. That was normal too. But then the rain drops turned into snow! (Note: it had more of a slushy consistency, but it was still snow!!!) I was so excited! I've never experienced falling snow before (as far as I can remember), so of course I had to stick my tongue out to catch the falling snow. And I did that for longer than I probably should have. :)

However, the further we trekked up the mountain, the worse the wind, and inevitably the snow, became. Pretty soon the wind was pelting the snow into our faces, and it was so cold that our faces started stinging. This caused us to cut our hike short. Nevertheless, we still had a ways to go before we reached the end of our hike, which was a town down in the valley.

After much effort, we finally made it up the last huge hill of our hike. And that's when it happened: my downfall. (Literally). By that point of our hike, I was so confident that I wasn't going to fall, despite all of the slippery rocks and mud puddles. The moment when you become confident, my friends, is when you fall. And I went all out. We were making our way downhill, heading toward the end of our hike, when I must have stepped on a slippery pile of mud because, before I knew it, I was flying through the air and sliding down the hill. I didn't slide too far, but I knew I had landed in some mud by the distance I had traveled. And, lo and behold, I had mud all over my butt. And not just on the outside of my jeans. No, the mud traveled all the way through my jeans, past my fleece-lined tights, and easily traveled through my underwear....Basically, it felt like I was walking around with a dirty diaper for the rest of the hike. Not the most pleasant experience I have to say, but one that makes for a great story.

And sorry, folks, I forgot to snap a picture of my soiled bum, but the story is more than enough for me.

However, Evaleen did remember to take a picture of us before our final descent into the town:

Alyssa, Evaleen, and I at the end of our hike! Excuse my odd appearance. I was trying to shield my eyes from the pelting wind and snow during the hike....

At last, we made it into the town, muddy butt and all. We took a much-needed lunch break inside a restaurant. We all got something to drink, but we secretly ate the packed lunches that we had brought (even though we got caught at one point). After about an hour and a half of resting, we did a little exploring. We found a gingerbread shop that is famous for their (surprise, surprise!) gingerbread. It was good but very powerful.

After we got our gingerbread, Evaleen, Alyssa, and I were ready to head back to the hostel. Even though, because of our damp clothing, it was a very cold walk back, we saw some beautiful scenery:

Someone had a private garden with a river flowing through it!

To the left, to the left....

This little area we walked through totally made me feel like I was in Snow White for some reason, but I wasn't complaining! Pictures don't give the place justice, but here are a couple:

Action shot of Alyssa. We were fairly close to the hostel at this point.

And at last, we made it back to the hostel. We then proceeded to take much needed showers and changed into some fresh clothes. Soon after that, we devoured our dinners and hung out for the rest of the evening.

The next day, after a very good night of sleep for me, we packed, ate breakfast, got some packed lunches, and got on our bus to go back to Leeds.

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I really enjoyed this trip, and I would encourage anyone visiting England to take a trip up to the Lake District. Even though I only got to explore it a little, it was a great experience!

Welcome back! Are you ready for the onslaught of pictures? I hope you enjoy looking at them all. I had a hard time picking out the ones I would be using for this blog post!

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On February 1st, Alyssa, Gaby, and I took a day trip to Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal Water Gardens. It was an amazing way to kick off my English adventures. And it was only a 2 hour journey in total. We first had to take a double-decker bus from Leeds to Ripon and then a smaller bus to the Fountains Abbey site.

When we had set off on our journey, it was a beautiful, sunny day with very little wind (a scarcity during this time of year). Unfortunately, by the time we got to Fountains Abbey, the clouds had rushed in, as well as some monstrous wind. But we were all excited for our first adventure, and so we followed the signs to Fountains Abbey:

There was a cute little cottage on our walk to the abbey.

Yes, it really did look like this!

Almost there!

We made it to the abbey!

First view of the abbey.

The abbey was massive! To give you an idea of just how magnificent it was, look at this picture of me in front of the building:

I felt like an ant next to it!

Entrance to the abbey.

Entrance archways.

Welcome!

So this next picture is where I got some "good luck." There were quite a few pigeons flying across this open area, and when I was admiring the view in front of me, I felt a splat on the back of my head. I didn't feel anything in my hair so I kept on with our exploration. But as we were walking back to take a break, Alyssa noticed something white and crunchy in my hair.... I don't know about you, but considering that the bird pooped on the back of my head--an extremely difficult location to successfully clean by yourself--I can't say I see the experience in the same light as those who believe it is a sign of good luck.

The scene of the crime. Be careful of English pigeons!

The cellarium, a place to store food, ale, and wines in English monasteries.

The view of the abbey from the side.

After our fingertips and toes felt like they were about to get frostbite, we headed back to the cafe to get some treats:

Nothing is better than a brownie and some hot chocolate!

Afterwards, we once more braved the cold for a 30-minute tour of the abbey, led by a cute, old tour guide. I'm loving all of these tour guides! (I don't have photos from the tour since I had already taken my best photos before the tour.)

When the tour was over, we took another trail that led us to the Studley Royal Water Gardens. We only got a glimpse of the gardens (we didn't have enough time to explore it fully, so I hope to go back), but what we saw was beautiful!

We also made a hike up to Anne Boleyn's Seat:

I can see why she made this her special place. Take a look at the view!

The view from Anne's seat. Can you spot the abbey?

Fountains Abbey from afar!

For our last stop of the day, we went to Fountains Hall. It was a beautiful hall, but we unfortunately were only allowed to see the first floor of the building.