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VII and VIII English trip to North West England

VII and VIII English trip to North West England

Somewhat bleary eyed, we set off early from Brook Green to embark on our literary escapade up north. First stop was the Lake District, which certainly lived up to its watery name, as we were greeted by a heavy downpour; nonetheless, undeterred, we spent the afternoon following in the steps of William and Dorothy Wordsworth […]

Students and teachers by the lake on the trip to North-West England

Somewhat bleary eyed, we set off early from Brook Green to embark on our literary escapade up north. First stop was the Lake District, which certainly lived up to its watery name, as we were greeted by a heavy downpour; nonetheless, undeterred, we spent the afternoon following in the steps of William and Dorothy Wordsworth around Grasmere Lake, accompanied by wonderful tidbits of information from Dr Patrick.

Throughout the week, we were so lucky to have Dr Patrick, Dr Bratten and Mrs Beesley give fascinating talks on several writers, ranging from Wordsworth and Coleridge to the Brontë sisters and Elizabeth Gaskell, intellectually stimulating talks that were balanced out by the highly competitive pub quizzes with which we rounded off the nights. All I can say is that I really need to revisit my knowledge of 2000s hits…

The weather remained unamiable, so we spent the following morning exploring the inside of the Wordsworths’ Dove Cottage, and later sheltered in the Wordsworth Centre, where we had a workshop on Romanticism and tried our hand at calligraphy, some to greater success than others (shout out to Mrs Beesley!). Moving on to Yorkshire, we left behind the Romantics and entered into the world of the Brontës as we arrived in Haworth and visited the Brontë parsonage, where tensions were high as everyone argued over the best Brontë sibling; Bronwell emerged surprisingly popular, much to the dismay of Dr Bratten.

The highlight of the week, however, was definitely our final walk up to Top Withens, the supposed inspiration for Wuthering Heights. Sun shining, and Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights playing on an endless loop, we had a terrific time frolicking out on the wild and windy moors. All in all, it was such a lovely trip, with a massive thank you to Dr Patrick, Mrs Beesley and Dr Bratten. 

Katie (VIII)