The Lake District in the 1990s
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We left the UK in a small party, with our own British guide, but once we arrived in Beijing we were also allocated a CITS (China International Travel Service) guide. He ensured we enjoyed the experience - and didn't stray from the agreed itinerary. In addition, when we visited other cities, we were given a local CITS guide, and my wife and I were both drawn to one in particular. If there was some cynicism about the CITS treatment of tourists, she showed none of it. New to her job, still sparkling with joy and energy, she was the best advert possible for this new China.
After we returned home, I wrote to thank her. Much to our surprise, she replied, and there developed a friendship that continued for many years. I saw this as an opportunity to let her see how ordinary Westerners lived their ordinary lives. I thought it would help her to deal with the Westerners who visited her city. We were living in Cumbria, on the shores of Derwentwater, and so I described our 'ordinary' lives: being marooned by floods; tending to the tank for our water supply, high up on the slopes of Cat Bells; 'rescuing' people from capsized boats.
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Hide AdThese letters continued through the 1990s, since when we moved to Sunny Sussex. Recently, I came across my copies, and decided to publish them. I didn't have my friend's permission to publish hers, and I didn't want to draw attention to any Western leanings she might have shown, and so the book is just a reflection of Lake District life rather than a political commentary.
“Before we got out of bed we could hear honking as two pairs of Canada geese fought for nesting rights on our island, something that happens every Spring. Later that morning the police arrived! There had been an armed robbery in Keswick (very unusual in this little town) and the robbers made their get-away on a motor bike, swapped that for a car, which they abandoned by the entrance to the track that leads down through the woods. The police were hot on their trail, but lost them in the woods. They came to us to check that we were alright, and to enquire whether we had seen any villains. We hadn’t seen any villains, but across the bay we could see two people having a picnic. The police were jubilant, but when I offered them my binoculars they realised that one of the picnickers had ‘female attributes’ – and the description of the villains was male. The decorator and joiner had come to watch the police in action and the joiner said, to no-one in particular: “Dangerous things, female attributes.” It did seem rather unlikely that the robbers would stop by the lake to eat their sandwiches, but the policemen were disappointed and trudged off to comb the woods. If three people can comb woods! We later heard that the robbers were caught. And the geese continued to fight.”
The events described are from not so long ago, but already they seem like a slice of social history. If you lived in the Lake District in those times, no doubt you will identify with some of them. If you have visited, and wondered what it would be like to live there, here is your answer.
The book is available on Amazon, price £8.00
Or contact the author:
Harvey Tordoff