102 VALE or ST. JOHN. 



of his daughters ; and now he and his son-in-law 

 lie buried there together. Skiddaw is here the 

 monarch of the scene. That mountain mass occu- 

 pies the north of the view. Bassenthwaite Lake 

 peeps from behind it : then the plain of the Der- 

 went stretches out to the lake of that name ; and 

 at the southern end the Borrowdale mountains are 

 grouped with wonderful effect, — Castle Crag occu- 

 pying the most conspicuous place. On the eastern 

 side, to the left of the spectator, Wallabarrow Crag 

 rears its crest, and unfolds its woods below ; while 

 the opposite side of the lake is guarded by Cat 

 Bells and other mountains, bare and pointed, and 

 possessing a character of their own. A steep 

 winding-road descends into the valley ; and at the 

 foot of the hill lies Keswick. 



If the traveller should prefer the detour through 

 the Vale of St. John, he has again a choice of roads 

 at the northern end. He may cr^oss the bridge, the 

 third in the Vale, which will lead him to St. John^s 

 Chapel. The situation of this little church is very 

 striking, commanding a fine view to the north and 

 west. From the road in front of the church the tra- 

 veller may find a field-path which will shorten his 

 walk to Keswick very considerably. It will take him 

 to the Druid's Temple, described in the section de- 

 voted to the ascent to Saddleback. Or, by return- 

 ing the way he has come as far as the farmhouses 

 he must have noticed about half-way between the 

 bridge and the chapel, he will find another field- 

 path which will lead him into the high road rather 

 more than a mile nearer Keswick than if he had 

 pursued the main road through the vale. He may 



