‘Too much for a woman’
300 YEARS AGO the Grand Tour of Europe was a rite of passage for young aristocrats, as they set off across the continent in search of artistic and cultural inspiration. But when the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars made that a perilous undertaking, travellers began to turn to homegrown splendours like the Lake District.
Many were inspired by Thomas West’s A Guide to the Lakes (1778) which kicked off tourism in Cumbria. It detailed spots – or stations – for the finest views around each lake. The directions were very precise, like these for Station 1 at Windermere: ‘Near the isthmus of the ferry point, observe two small oak trees that enclose the road; these will guide you to the celebrated station. Behind the tree, on the western side, ascend to the top of the nearest rock, and from thence in two views command all the beauties of this magnificent lake.’
Visitors soon crowded in his footsteps and in the 1790s, Claife viewing station was built on the spot West described. Each window of its drawing room offered a different vista of the lake, and each was tinted a different hue – like a prototype Instagram filter. The yellow window gave the vista a summery feel. An orange one provided autumn hues, with light green for spring and light blue for winter. There was even a dark blue window for a moonlit view, and a lilac one for a stormy day. During its peak in the 1830s it hosted thousands of visitors, and dinner-dances too. Today the roof has gone, but the big windows still frame glorious views of Windermere, with a central clear-glass panel edged with tinted glass so you can filter the scene just like those early visitors did.
And sometimes those visitors didn’t look directly at the view at all. Instead, they turned their back and lifted a small, convex mirror – thereby transforming the raw nature behind
them into a perfectly-framed reflection before them. These mirrors were known as Claude glasses, after the painter Claude Lorrain, with a golden-tint to the lens that gave ‘the object of nature a soft, mellow tinge like the colouring of that Master’.
They were particularly recommended for women. “A dramatic vista was thought to be too much,” says Paul Kleian of The Wordsworth Trust. “A woman would be blindfolded for the last few steps before a viewpoint, then arranged with her back to the view and only allowed to look at its reflection.” Looking backwards in mirrors had its dangers, though. Poet Thomas Gray broke his knuckles on a walk in the Lake District as he ‘fell down on my back across a dirty lane with my glass open in one hand’.
Turn to Walk 16 for a route to Claife Viewing Station with long views of Windermere (Claude glass optional).
Plot out your route, and the app will help you lead the way.
secrets close to home as it is for taking you out into the wider world.
lets you explore the map, starting with the region on your doorstep. The red dots you’ll see on the map are Community Highlights and points of interest: recommendations and tips from people who’ve walked there before you, or useful places that might enhance your walk. You may see a lookout spot you didn’t know existed, offering great views over the town.
(when normality returns) discover a highly recommended café you just didn’t know about. And although we’re walkers, don’t forget to check the cycling Highlights too (indicated by a bicycle icon). Even though they’re recommended by cyclists, you might discover a viewpoint, picnic spot or café that is also relevant to your walk.
you’ll be able to see where all the footpaths and bridleways criss-cross on the map – opening your mind to new possibilities and new destinations.
you’re feeling inspired, it’s time to start planning. With your start and end points selected, komoot will plot a route for you. With elevation profiles and waytype displays, you can adjust the plotted route in just a few clicks.
komoot fans reveal what they love about seeking adventure on their doorsteps…
komoot ambassador and Instagram hiking star
“Slate Fell (171m) is a small hill next to Cockermouth which offers wonderful views across the quintessential Cumbrian countryside and a walk up there gives me a welcome opportunity to spot the Lake District Wainwright fells that hold so many fond mountain hiking memories for me
– like Skiddaw,
Hopegill Head, Whiteside,
Mellbreak and
Red Pike over by Buttermere.”
See more from Nic at adventurernic. com and on Twitter @adventurernic