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to a good distance; Yew-barrow lies on the left, and under
it, the enclosed lands of Bowderdale; part of the Screes are
on the right; Wastdale Head at the end of the lake, by its
enclosures, serves as a scale whereby to judge the vastness
of the mountains; and over them is Great Gable, so called
from its resemblance to the roof of a house: between Gable
and Yew-barrow see a part of Kirk Fell, and between Gable
and the Screes, Lingmell, from which rises Scho-fell, the
summit of which cannot be seen from this place.
Wast Water is not fine when enlightened by a meridian sun
from a cloudless sky, for then the mountains on the north
and west are uniformly illuminated; nor is it better at
three, for then the sun's rays dart down the middle of the
vale. In cloudless weather, the evening and the morning will
be better than the mid-day or afternoon; but cloudy weather,
with occa-
page 97:-
[occa]sional gleams of the sun, will exhibit Wast Water to
great advantage - mists and clouds travelling the surface of
the rocks, sometimes, displaying their huge forms as if hung
in vapour, alternately light, and of the deepest air tints,
will not fail of giving great pleasure to all who are
capable of being moved by the wonders of God in the works of
his creation.
Those who delight in the beautiful rather than the sublime,
or in its mixture, Wast Water, it is feared, will not
satisfy. Wastdale is seldom seen to advantage, and those who
view it under unfavourable circumstances, will, perhaps,
return disgusted.
Those who go on foot or on horse-back to see this lake,
travel much less ground than those who visit it in
carriages; besides which, the short lines display a much
greater proportion of fine scenery than the long lines.
The account here given of Wastdale
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