BORROWDALE. 119 



may wish to remain in this beautiful dale. Before 

 turning his face lakewards, the traveller must go 

 forward a few yards from the inn, to where he will 

 see a narrow entrance and steps in the right-hand 

 fence. He must go in there, and mount that little 

 hill, called Castlehill, whence the truest and best 

 total view of Borrowdale is obtained ; for the 

 station is nearly central. 



He is nov»^ standing in the middle of that far- 

 famed Borrowdale of which so many curious tales 

 are told. Its inhabitants were once 



BOEKOWDALE, • •, ^ ... 



considered as primitive as we now 

 consider those of Watendlath; and a good deal 

 more, if the current stories are true. It is said 

 that an old Borrowdale man was once sent a very 

 long way for something very new, by some inno- 

 vator who had found his way into the dale. The 

 man was to go with horse and sacks (for there were 

 no carts, because there was no road) to bring some 

 lime from beyond Keswick. On his return, when 

 he was near Grange, it began to rain ; and the 

 man was alarmed at seeing his sacks begin to 

 smoke. He got a handful of water from the river ; 

 but the smoke grew worse. Assured at length 

 that the devil must be in any fire which was 

 aggravated by water, he tossed the whole load over 



into the river. That must have been 

 TE*^°iHoirs. before the dalesmen built their curious 



wall; for they must have had lime 

 for that. Spring being very charming in Bor- 

 rowdale, and the sound of the cuckoo gladsome, 

 the' people determined to build a wall to keep 

 in the cuckoo, and make the spring last for ever. 

 So they built a wall across the entrance, at 



