« 'E.xcmmn. 253 



the Cockermouth road, which traverses the \^ ale of Norton* 

 The higher he ascends, the more lovely are the views over 

 that vale which the traveller obtains, till at length the Sol- 

 way gleams in the sun, and the Scotch mountains appear 

 beyond. If he has good eyes, the driver will point out to 

 him, at a vast distance, the famous old J^SiOrtott 2^^> appear- 

 ing like a dark clump, beside a white farmhouse. When 

 fairly on Lorton Fell, six or seven miles from Scale Hill, he 

 cannot but admire, — in one sense of the word, or the other — 

 the colouring of the hill itself, if the time be anywhere from 

 June to September. The gaudy hues of the mingled gorse 

 and heather are, at that season, unlike any exhibition of 

 colour we have seen elsewhere, — exceeding even the far- 

 famed American forests. As the north-western vision van- 

 ishes, the south-western opens ; and the whole vale of Kes- 

 wick with Skiddaw in its noblest aspect, and the lakes far 

 below, looks finer than ever. After passing through Braith- 

 waite, he soon recognises the road, and returns to Keswick 

 ^^ by the well-known bridge over the Derwent. 



If the traveller has time, we recommend him, on leaving 

 Scale Hill, to go round by the village of Norton and visit 

 the famous ^t'coQ. It adds about two miles to the journey 

 to Keswick ; but the road is much better than the shorter 

 one, and the valley is very beautiful. 



THE CIRCUIT OF BASSENTHWAITE LAKE. 



(18 miles). 



Bassenthwaite verges towards the flat country, which is 



not what the traveller came to visit. The residents in the 



district become more sensible every year to the beauty of 



