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Page 203:-
Oct. 3. A heavenly day; rose at seven, and walked out under the
conduct of my landlord to Borrowdale; the grass was covered with
a hoar frost, which soon melted and exhaled a thin blueish smoke;
crossed the meadows obliquely, catching a diversity of views
among the hills, over the lake and islands, and changing prospect
at every ten paces. Left Cockshut (which we formerly mounted) and
Castle-hill, a loftier and more rugged hill behind me, and drew
near the foot of Wallow-cragg, whose bare and rugged brow, cut
perpendicularly down above 400 feet, (as I guess, though the
people call it much more) awfully overlooks the way. Our path
here tends to the left, and the ground gently rising, and covered
with a glade of scattered trees and bushes on the very margin of
the water, opens both ways the most delicious view that my eyes
every beheld. Opposite are the thick woods of Lord Egremont, and
Newland valley, with green and smiling fields embosomed in the
dark cliffs; to the left, the jaws of Borrowdale, with that
turbulent chaos of mountain behind mountain, rolled in confusion;
beneath you, and stretching far away to the right, the shining
purity of the lake-reflecting rocks, woods, fields, and inverted
tops of hills, just ruffled by the breeze, enough to show it is
alive, with the white buildings of Keswick, Crosthwaite church,
and Skiddaw, for a back-ground at a distance. Behind you the
magnificent heights of Wallow-crag: here the glass played its
part divinely; the place is called Carf-close-reeds; and I choose
to set down these barbarous names, that any body may enquire on
the place, and easily find the particular station that I mean.
This scene continues to Barrowgate, and a little further, passing
a brook called Barrow-beck, we entered Borrowdale: the crags
named Lowdore-banks began now to impend terribly over the way,
and more terribly when you hear that three years since an immense
mass of rock tumbled at once from the brow, barred all access to
the dale (for this is the only road) till they could work their
way through it. Luckily no one was passing by at the time of this
fall; but down the side of the mountain, and far into the lake,
lie dispersed the huge fragments of this
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