Whitehead, A, Diary of A. Whitehead during a trip to the Lake District, 1871, August 6-1871, August 21
- Title(s):
- Diary of A. Whitehead during a trip to the Lake District.
- Published/Created:
- England, 1871, August 6-1871, August 21.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. (102 p.) ; 19 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsDA670.L1 W45 1871Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon FundView by request in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/8905957
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- Binding: limp black cloth pocket notebook.
Manuscript diary, in pen, of a two-week trip to the Lake District by A. Whitehead. The diarist, a young man from London, recounts the entire journey, including travel from Heritage Wharf, London, to the Lake District via Newcastle. He has also pasted in printed descriptions of Lake District features, apparently from a contemporary guide book, along with an engraved map (at front) and a list of the lakes (at end), each of which, except Hawes Water, has been checked.
Whitehead undertakes the first half of his holiday alone, as his intended walking partner was delayed by business appointments. He has no trouble, however, befriending strangers at every leg of his journey, and he seems to have constant dining, drinking, and walking companions, including fellow tourists and locals. He recounts a daily routine of hearty breakfasts (salmon and lamb chops), very long walks, mountain climbing (including a tricky ascent of Helvellyn), or rowing of hired boats on the lakes. Of a walk at Ullswater, Whitehead notes, "the sun was shining on it and it was indeed a beautiful sight. I no longer feared losing my way, as I had only to descend down the Fells to arrive at Pooley Ridge ... the descent was not so easy or straight as it appeared. I had to go through 8 or 9 fields & climb over gates and stiles, and more than once I thought the cows were going to charge me as they looked very wicked and stamped their feet." Whitehead also finds time to visit Wordsworth's home at Dove Cottage in Grasmere and visit the photographic gallery in Keswick to have his picture taken in tourist costume. On his return to London, Whitehead stops in Newcastle for three days, which he finds depressing and rainy. The journey by boat from Newcastle to London is, in contrast, an enjoyable social affair, enlivened all the more by a vivid occurrence of the aurora borealis. - Subject Terms:
- Cumberland (England) -- Description and travel.Lake District (England) -- Description and travel.Lake District (England) -- Social life and customs.Lancashire (England) -- Description and travel.Newcastle upon Tyne (England) -- Description and travel.Ocean travel.Travelers' writings, English.Westmorland (England) -- Description and travel.Whitehead, A. -- Diaries.Whitehead, A. -- Travel -- England -- Lake District.
- Form/Genre:
- Diaries.
Travel literature -- England -- Lake District -- 1871. - Export:
- XML