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Day 7, Tuesday, 19 OCT 2004:
Justin had wanted to see the Lake District in Northwest England, but since it's not a short drive from home, we combined it with our trip to Scotland.

Our first activity of the day was hiking the summit of Dodd, 1612 ft. We followed a very nice, marked trail from a small car park not far from our bed and breakfast. A sign said three hours with splendid views, which sounded perfect. It was quite a steep grade most of the way up, especially with Malachi on Justin's back and Erin 14 weeks pregnant. It was pleasant though; we didn't have great views, but we were sheltered from the wind by trees. When we passed the tree line, the wing almost knocked us over. The summit yielded excellent views of the Lake District: the green fields in the valley to our left, the lake in the valley to our right, and all the peaks in the distance and at our backs. Although the walk was shorter than planned (it took us two hours), it worked out better since we were back in time to have lunch in the Old Sawmill (a tea room next to the car park).

Next, as has become our tradition, we took a driving tour so Malachi could nap. It worked out well, since he napped and we got to see some more great scenery.

After that we headed in to the local major village, Keswick (pronounced like the giant in Princess Bride, except with a "K"). Our first stop was the pencil museum. Justin wasn't about to pass up seeing a place which claims to be "the only attraction in the world devoted exclusively to the rich and fascinating history of the pencil." Justin thought it was interesting; Erin was glad it was short.

Day 8, Wednesday, 20 OCT 2004:
Our last day we drove home. We made one tourist stop, at the Castlerigg Stone Circle (a mini Stonehenge, if that helps). It was ok. The setting is great - a small hill surrounded by Lake District scenery - but it's hard to appreciate sites like that while rushed.

Overall, a great vacation. Lots of driving (over 1750 miles), but it was spread out. Very underrated scenery. And lots of nice poeple. But it was nice to be home in time for dinner.

To go back to the start of our trip, click here.