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its banks: at the head two vallies open among the mountains: one,
that by which we came down, the other Langdale, in which Wrynose
and Hardknot, two great mountains, rise above the rest: from
thence the fells visibly sink, and soften along its sides;
sometimes they run into it (but with a gentle declivity) in their
own dark and natural complexion: oftener they are green and
cultivated, with farms interspersed, and round eminences, on the
border covered with trees: towards the south it seemed to break
into large bays, with several islands, and a wider extent of
cultivation. The way rises continually, till a place called
Orrest-head where it turns south-east, losing sight of the water.
Passed by Ings chapel, and Staveley; but I can say no farther,
for the dusk of the evening coming on, I entered Kendal almost in
the dark, and could distinguish only a shadow of the castle on a
hill, and tenter grounds spread far and wide round the town,
which I mistook for houses. My inn promised sadly, having two
wooden galleries, like Scotland, in front of it: it was indeed an
ill-contrived house, but kept by civil, sensible people; so I
stayed two nights with them, and fared and slept very
comfortably.
Oct. 9. The air mild as summer, all corn off the ground, and the
sky-larks singing aloud (by the way, I saw not one at Keswick,
perhaps because the place abounds in birds of prey.) I went up
the castle-hill: the town chiefly consists of three nearly
parallel streets, almost a mile long; except these, all the other
houses seem as if they had been dancing a country dance, and were
out: there they stand back to back, corner to corner, some
up-hill, some down, without intent or meaning. Along by their
side runs a fine brisk stream, over which there are three stone
bridges: the buildings (a few comfortable houses excepted) are
mean, of stone, and covered with a
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