As I mentioned before, I've always been a bit blasé about the scenery in the Lake District. It's feasible that I've been looking for something more spectacular, my perception blunted by American landmarks. Perhaps I never went at the right time of year. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention at all. We went for a walk at Tarn Hows one day and it all really got me.
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| Remember these in Wales? |
And then the sun came out and I wanted to go around and see it all again! But we didn't.
The name, Tarn Hows, like many of the local names seemed strange to me. The National Trust was ready for my question with a sign:
Why Tarn Hows?
Viking settlers from Scandinavia began to arrive in the Lake District between the seventh and ninth centuries. The Norse language left a large impression upon Cumbrian place names. Tarn Hows is a good example of this.
A Tarn is a small mountain lake. This name comes from the Norse word, tjorn which means teardrop, used to describe any small body of water.
Hows derives from the Norse word haugr which means hill. Other variations of this word seen around Cumbria include; how, howe and haw.
Therefore Tarn Hows is aptly named; a small lake set amongst the rolling hills."
6 comments:
Looks beautiful! We are under a blanket of snow so it's nice to see some green!
Oh it's really beautiful, I have never been to the lake District but would love to go down and stay in a little cottage for a few days in summer time.
Oh, Shelley, I think it is gorgeous. It reminds me a bit of the gentle, rolling foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Love!
Your pictures make it look so beautiful. Interesting about the Viking language. I like how you put in that extra effort to explain how different the UK is.
It reminds me of the Hudson Valley, in New York, and also of lands where I camped in Ontario and Montreal, long ago.
Beautiful.
SP - We have had snow off and on (but currently it's off, thankfully) this month; these photos were taken in October.
Tabitha - A cottage at the Lake District would do you good, I'm sure!
Heather - You are right, I hadn't thought of it. Quite like the Smokey Mountains.
Beryl - I'm so glad you like how I do anything!
Susan - I've not been to the Hudson Valley, but I have read (long ago) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I have been to Niagara Falls and to Montreal, but not to the land in between, sadly.
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