The Lake District is filled with mountains (fells) as well as the many lakes that give it its name. The area is also a national park (http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk), and a very popular place for a week's holiday getaway, a weekend, or a day trip.

Not surprisingly, the Lakes District is a bit touristy, with so many visitors, so prices are often a bit higher than elsewhere, and there is more opportunity to buy souvenirs and knick-knacks. This seems a small price to pay for the incredible natural beauty of the area.

We drove up to Kirkstone Pass, the highest pass in the Lakes that is open to motor vehicles. We ascended via "The Struggle." This aptly named roadway is very narrow - not more than a single lane, but with two-way traffic, and flanked on both sides by dry stone walls. It twists its way up to Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside, rising, in places, at a 1 in 4 gradient (a one foot rise in four feet traveled). Other hazards include sheep which have strayed onto the roadway from the adjoining fields, highland cattle, and other traffic (car, cycle and foot). The tale of the name is told that, in days of horse and coach travel, the horses struggled mightily to pull their load to the top of The Struggle.