Lake District and Preston

Stephen left us to return to the states the Wednesday after our trip to Bath.  The next day on Thursday evening, we went on an English road trip to visit the Preston temple, see the Lake District, and watch the British Pageant.  

 Our first night we stayed at Chorley, the town where the Preston temple is located.  DJ and I went for a morning run, passing the above church.  Lovely town, beautiful architecture.

 Our run took us to the temple.  As all temples are, it was beautiful.  The surrounding grounds included gardens and lawns, an MTC and mission housing.

 A pond of lily pads on the temple grounds.  As the sun rose more and more flowers opened up.

Friday we left Chorley for the Lake District.  The Lake District is a British National Park, but it is unlike our National Parks in the US.  Much of it is privately owned and you drive past pastures of sheep, small towns, private residences on large estates, and several hotels and resorts.  The Lake District is beautiful, reminiscent of the mountains and canyons we left back at home, but with a definite English twist.  The above picture was where we stopped for a lunch picnic the first day of the trip.

 Every time we passed a river, we would lose dad.  He could stand there for hours scouting out the best fishing holes.  Oh, how I wish we had a fishing rod for him!

 Time for lunch! Sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers, and, of course, English cookies.

Finally, DJ is out of the city and back in his natural element, among the mountains and trees and streams. 

 We stayed the night at Ladore Falls, a very beautiful resort/hotel near Lake Derwent.

Just outside our hotel was a stream with the bridge, pictured above.  DJ is getting a fishing lesson as my dad describes where the fish will be and how you would catch them with a fly. 

 A picture of the valley and adjacent mountain that our hotel faced. 

This was lake Derwent, the lake where our hotel was located.  You could canoe, kayak, and sail on the Lake.  We just walked along the shore. 

 All hungry and ready for our three course dinner at Ladore Falls!

 Yummy smoked salmon for the appetizer - perfect starter for our resident fisherman!

 Saturday morning DJ and I went for a morning run, passing the above and below scenery.  Beautiful pastures and mountains and fields.  So much fun!

 Our last adventure in the Lake District, we went for a 4 mile walk along a nearby trail.  At the turn around we stopped for a snack.  Dad impressed us all with this rock-skipping abilities, almost beating his record with a 12-skip throw.  Not too shabby!

Saturday night we went back to Chorley to see the British Pageant.  It was a full house!  This was the first year of the pageant and it told the story of the early saints in Britain.  Something I did not realize was that the English missionaries converted more members in the British Isles than were baptized in America.  When the British saints emigrated to the US and joined the saints there they quadrupled their numbers!  The British members of the church, even today, take great pride in the faith and sacrifice of their ancestry and the contribution of the British members.  They are quick to point out that it is not an American church and, indeed, they are right!  It is not.  The pageant was very well done and the house was packed.  Hopefully this will become a tradition and not just a one time event.

 On the way back we drove through Nottingham and Sherwood Forrest.  As luck would have it, it was the annual Robin Hood festival that weekend. The forrest was full of people dressed in period clothes.  There was food and entertainment, dancers, musicians, and even a jousting tournament.

Little John and his fellow merry man in a quarter staff battle.