Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Kirkstone Pass, England


This postcard may not have color, but it definitely has movement. Be sure to click on it to get a closer look. It shows horse-drawn carriages descending from Kirkstone Pass in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. A motorcar has pulled off to the side, perhaps to get out of the way of the fast-moving carriages. The Kirkstone Inn (not visible here) stands near the summit of the pass and has been there since the 16th century. You can still rent a room here or a bunk in the dormitory and get some refreshment in the bar.

You probably won't be able to ride a horse-drawn carriage down from the Pass anymore, but many cyclists and runners enjoy the challenge both uphill and down. The ride is a steep one; in places the gradient is 25%! Although the ride down by carriage was probably fun and exciting, the ride up was known as the struggle, because horses were unable to pull the weight of the carriage with passengers, so people had to get out and walk to the top. The ride down was winding, dusty, and bumpy, and passengers were packed in tightly. The first carriage is carrying 19 passengers along with the driver. It looks as if it would have been easy to fall out.

Here's another view:

4 comments:

  1. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Check it out, here's the postcard "miniaturized":
    http://tinyurl.com/ybt4zys

    ReplyDelete
  3. I checked out the other pictures you did. This is fun, but it helps to have color, doesn't it? The color ones are very striking.

    Still waiting for your postcard blog...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like the new look! Good on ya.
    Susi

    ReplyDelete

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