| To get an idea of where Keswick and Windermere are located and for touring information, including pictures of the Lake District, click here. |
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Today began with a coach ride from our hotel in Keswick to the small village of Grasmere, where the Wordsworth family, including Dorothy and William, spent most of their livelihood and are now buried. It is only a few miles from Keswick and the trip was gorgeous!
Once the coach began to wind through the steep hills I was instantly awed by the grandeur of their height and volume. It is so amazing that an island like Britain can have such diverse topography. Salisbury was somewhat hilly, Oxford is known for being completely flat, and then Keswick commands a view similar to the foothills of Colorado. The misty clouds hang low over the mountains but a trace of sunshine highlights the various ridges over the hills. At the bottoms of the mountain valleys are blue lakes with small, white-crested waves reaching toward the shore. |
| After passing through these astonishing landscapes we stopped to check out Dove Cottage, home of the Wordsworth’s. Unfortunately, due to season, we were only able to see the outside. Surprisingly, the cottage was stucco, white stucco. Behind the cottage was a damp and smooth cliff covered slightly by moss and vines. Carved on it were several initials of the members of the Wordsworth posse: W.W., M.H., S.T.C., D.W., and J.W. Most likely, the letters correspond to: William Wordsworth, Mary H, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dorothy Wordsworth, and Jonathan Wordsworth, respectively. We hadn’t decided if the museum staff may have carved these names in for emphasis and drama, or if the namesakes themselves etched the rock.
| Click here for more information on Wordsworth's Dove Cottage and Museum, as well as great pictures of both the inside and outside. |
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| To perform a search on the Wordsworths or read the life and works of both William and Dorothy, click here. |
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| Click here for one of Wordsworth's poems about the Yew tree. |
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Once we had peered about the cottage a bit, our group walked into Grasmere to visit the graves of the Wordsworth family. There are a number of shops along the road and river before we happen upon the nearly 700-year-old church where the Wordsworth’s have been laid to rest. The graves of both William and Dorothy are well-kept and still had decorations most likely left over the holidays. Near the graves about three feet is a Yew tree, which William planted years ago and speaks of often in poetry. The entire cemetery was so gorgeous and time-worn! |
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To get to the church and graveyard, one had to cross over a beautiful little stream. The mountains around this area are high enough to propel natural streams down into the valleys, including the one we crossed. Several cafes have exploited this engaging environment by building alongside the stream.The bridge began to look very picturesque as the sun came out and cast a soft glow over the scenery. The whole area was simply breath-taking, regardless of weather! |
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We grabbed lunch at a café down the street from the graves and then visited a few shops on the way back. In one shop, there was a brown, scruffy, and adorably friendly old pup named “Solly” (spoken with a Scottish accent). The shop owner was Scottish and had a great time discussing our trip but expressed regret that we were not planning on touring Edinburgh. All of the shops were quaint and fun, but eventually we had to meander back to the coach. From there we decided to make an unscheduled stop and take a small cruise on Lake Windermere. |
Even though the day had progressively gotten more gray and rainy, we decided to take a boat ride about the lake. We sat in the lower, enclosed deck where it was warmer and our view brought us very close to the surface of the lake. Though, I have to say that I didn’t get a more magnificent sight of the hills than I would have by driving about in the coach. One thing I did notice though, were the stone fences that criss-crossed the green hills and mountains. Actually, it looked like someone had taken puffy paint and had drawn squares all over the green hillsides, dividing the land up in a peculiarly proportioned checker board.
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It is completely understandable that the Wordsworth clan would choose to live and write about the Lake District. The scenery is astonishing, even on the muggy and rainy days! The village of Grasmere is slightly out of the way, but very much worth the trip. Simply driving around the Lake District is an experience in itself.
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