First full day in the Lake District - Windermere and surrounding area

It has been way too long since my last post from Iceland. If I'm honest, I haven't done a whole lot. This winter kicked the shit out of me and I've been lazy. That all changes now. I made my way to Manchester, England, and took a combination of trains to get to Windermere, which welcomed me with wind and rain, and my damn rain/wind pants were packed. 
The guest house where I'm staying, Holly Lodge, is not even a half a mile from the train station, and yet I managed to get lost, all the while not ever getting farther than three quarters of a mile away. I am beginning to think I have a special power. Eventually, I broke down and asked directions, and before you mock me, like my now disinherited brother, my frigging GPS would not work. Ahhhh. Oh, did I mention that somehow my travel pants developed a rip? Yeah. WTF? I finally made it, jet lagged and bedraggled (not bedazzled) and dried out, took a little rest and then walked around. The one thing about walking in England is you have got to train yourself to look both ways before crossing the street, but in reverse. Ok, now that I'm settled, I have a small, half day excursion planned for Sunday around Beatrix Potter country. Windermere has a great tourist office right near the train
station and it's also the pick up point for Mountain Goat Tours, the tour company for my stay. If you stop in, say hi to Jill. She was fabulous and very welcoming. Go put a pin in her map...somehow she figured out I was from the US. Weird. What gave it away?  Anyway, we were off.

We stopped at Wray Castle, more for the views outside, and they were gorgeous. I didn't care that The sun played hide and seek, I was grateful the rain made only sporadic appearances. After Wray Castle, we, well, Peter, navigated the narrow lanes, avoiding ramblers, cyclists and other motorists like the pro he is, and headed to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's 17th century farmhouse. She owned a lot of land throughout the area and donated it to the National Trust. The farmhouse has all original furnishings except for carpet and curtains, I believe. Peter was a terrific guide, driving and talking, which isn't as easy as it sounds, explaining the influence of the Viking settlers in the late first millennium, and the words they left behind, like tarn, tor, and a whole lot more that I can't recall at this time. Which is why I'm the guideee, not the guide. And I don't like people, but that's for another day. I'll let the pictures do the talking because I'm about to smash my iPad mini in a fit of rage I usually save for more worthwhile occasions.