A Day with Elizabeth Bennet

            Elizabeth Bennet is a feisty, stubborn, fiercely loyal young woman, and in all honesty, despite the fact that she is a literary character, she’s a hero of mine.  Although I’m certain there were many things that I did today that she would not approve of, such as being a young woman traveling on my own, hiking in trousers, and oh so much more, I felt like I got to walk in her shoes.

            Elizabeth was excited about traveling to the Lake District with her aunt and uncle, but unfortunately their plans changed and they “had to” travel to Derbyshire (Dar-ba-shure).  In the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, there is a scene where Elizabeth stands on a beautiful ridge overlooking incredible scenery, so of course that was my first stop of the day! 

            I did some research and found out that the ridge she was standing on is called The Roaches.  Don’t worry, I never saw any of the little creatures, so I’m not positive where the name came from, I believe it is an unfortunate family name.  There are several websites that provide information about trails and walking paths in the area, so I found the perfect one that had great details and descriptions of where to walk around the Roaches.  Despite the precise details, I got lost.  Perhaps when it said to turn at the rock balanced on the other rock, I chose the wrong one.  But I followed paths, and there were a few people around, enough that I never was scared, but few that I ever actually passed, so I just headed up where I knew the views would be best. 

            The views were breathtaking: a lake, sheep, cows, green pastures, stone walls and patchwork quilt fields.  The top of the ridge was speckled with giant rocks, perfect for climbing on and around.  Although I’m not certain I captured the spot where Elizabeth stood, I definitely walked upon it and enjoyed, like she did, the great scenery that surrounded the area.

I climbed up there!

This is Docksey Pool; it is rumored to be bottomless (I didn’t test it!) and connected by underground channels to Mermaid Pool about 3 miles away.  It is also the highest pool in the Peak District.

    

            While visiting Derbyshire, Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle suggested they visit Pemberley, the residence of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.  While Pemberley is not a real place, today I traveled to the setting of the BBC film, an estate that makes a perfect Pemberley!  The home and gardens are elegant, and perfectly stunning. 

            When Elizabeth’s sister Jane, asked her, “Will you tell me how long you have loved him?”  Elizabeth, replied: “It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began.  But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”  And I must admit, if Pemberley was anything like Lyme Hall where I was today, I can’t say that I blame her in the least!  And I must admit that while I know that the story is fictional, there were still several corners I turned where I secretly hoped to see Mr. Darcy walking towards me.

            Lyme Hall was actually used as a hunting ground since it was given to the family around 600 years ago.  In 1346, Sir Thomas Danyers saved the Black Prince from a near kidnapping and some sort of important paperwork that the French had stolen.  When Sir Thomas killed the man carrying this paperwork, he could not get it out of his hand, so he simply cut off the soldier’s arm.  In honor of saving the prince, the king, gifted this land to Sir Thomas.  Now the coat of arms of Sir Thomas’ family is an arm carrying a scroll, and it is all over the home!  The estate was only briefly used as a home by the family; for most of the years, it was actually used as a hunting camp (a very classy one if I do say so myself!).

            A tour of the estate was well worth it, especially as it is part of the National Trust, of which I have bought a year’s membership, so this visit was free!  The main sitting room had a lovely old piano in it, where a woman played.  The first song I heard was, I believe, some sort of classical piece, although an Oklahoma song book was sitting close by!  I had to refrain from laughing while looking over the ornate tapestries and paintings when the pianist then chose to play “Alone” by Heart.

            I was thrilled to see that the home was set up so that we, as tourists, could walk amongst it and see what life might have really been like.  In each room, there was a volunteer standing by to tell us more should we choose – it was a lovely way to learn some fun tidbits!  I even had the pleasure of sitting in the library for a while and enjoying a short read of a Grimm’s fairy tale.  I had recently read Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I wanted to see how it compared to the original story.  Sitting on some fluffy cushions, overlooking the grounds was a perfect way to spend some time!  In one of the rooms, there was an old fashioned desk, which the guide explained to me would have been used to write letters upon.  He invited me to sit and write a letter that they would post for me!  It is those little touches that make such a lovely difference!  I’m sure that had this actually been Pemberley, this is where Elizabeth, too, would have sat and written a letter.

            As I continue on my journey, through England, and throughout this year, I hope to continue to follow Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s footsteps, in more ways that one!