The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices / Cumbria Reading Detectives

The team

Other teams

The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices Find!

In Neil Curry's book 'The Cumberland Coast' he mentions a visit to Cumbria by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. This intrigued me so I located a copy of the book which they wrote - thank you Carlisle Library - and set forth on 'The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices'.

In 1857 Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins decided to take a short holiday together. As Dickens describes it to a friend it was to be an "expedition to out-of-the-way places. Our decision is for a foray upon the fells of Cumberland; I have discovered in the books some promising moors and bleak places thereabouts." The result was 'The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices', his little-known Cumbrian travel book.

Although only a short book there is a definite feeling of north-south divide as the two travellers venture away from London. There is a real feeling of travelling to the bleak wilderness of the north away from home comforts and conveniences. However they do manage to poke fun at themselves in the description of a climb up Carrock Fell. Inevitably it rains, inevitably the mist comes down, and inevitably they get lost. Their guide, the local innkeeper, admits he hasn't been up there in years and they begin to wonder whether there isn't better walking to be had in London " where there are nice short walks in level public gardens, with benches of repose set up at convenient distances for weary travellers." And then Wilkie Collins trips and sprains his ankle and is crippled. They do manage to get back to the inn and decide to head for the coast and the little town of Allonby which at the time was the most popular watering-place of the elite of Cumberland. However Wilkie Collins wonders whether a watering-place could really consist of "five gentlemen in straw hats, on a form on one side of a door, and four ladies in hats and falls, on a form on another side of a door, and three geese in a dirty little brook.....and a donkey running away." This donkey proved to be the chief public excitement at Allonby - it was always running away - that they later wonder if it wasn't supported at public expense for the entertainment of visitors.

I'm sure today's visitors would find plenty to enjoy in and around Allonby even without a 'running away' donkey although I can't guarantee if you take a walk up Carrock Fell that you won't get caught in the wind and the mist as Anne (one of the group) discovered last Sunday when she went for a walk up that particular hill!

17 August 2009 from Mary Rossall

2 Comments

Priscilla | August 19, 2009 9:52 AM

Hello Helen and the Grange Team
Delighted to see Wilkie Collins featuring in your search, one of my favourite Victorian authors, and the Idle Apprentices is a grand book.
Hope you find even more to discuss when you meet again later today.
Best wishes
Priscilla

Mary replied to comment from Priscilla | August 19, 2009 3:04 PM

Hello Priscilla,

This is what I am enjoying about Reading Detectives - reading one book and finding a clue to another book. It really is like a treasure hunt! The runaway donkey in Allonby did make me smile. Next meeting tonight so hopefully we shall have a bit of a team blog!
Best wishes,
Mary

All blog posts | RSS feed

Finds

Help the team

Have you got something to contribute? You can contact us to report your clues and you can comment on our blog posts. It doesn't matter where in the world you are!