201
8 Grasmere
Cumbria; LA22 9SH
On the Wordsworth trail, Grasmere
has the sturdy little village church of
St Oswald’s. Inside, there is a glass
case holding the poet’s prayer book
Far left The old stone bridge over the River
Greta at Keswick Left Dove Cottage, home of
celebrated lake poet William WordsworthBelow The enigmatic Castlerigg Stone Circle,
one of the earliest stone circles in BritainDRIVE 19: The Poetry of the Lakes
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50The Hardy Herdwick
Incredibly enduring, Herdwick sheep
are native to the Lake District, where
they have grazed since the 12th
century or earlier. The meat is prized
by Cumbrian gourmets. It gets its
distinctive taste from a diet of fell
grasses and heather. The wool is
tough, wiry and longlasting.local rock, and was probably carried
here all the way from Scotland by the
glaciers of the Ice Age. It is traditional
to shake hands with a friend under
the stone and climb to the top.
ª Carry along B5289 into Keswick.
7 Keswick
Cumbria; CA12 5JR
A tourist magnet, this buzzy town has
a stunning setting on Derwent Water,
surrounded by the fells of Saddleback,
Helvellyn and Grizedale Pike.
Attractions include the
beautifully situated
Theatre by the Lake,
(www.theatrebythelake.
co.uk) with its professional
drama company and art
galleries. Alternatively,
take to the water in a
rowing boat or kayak, or on
a cruise. East of town, on the
A591, stands the enigmatic Castlerigg
Stone Circle with distant views of
Skiddaw, Blencathra and Lonscale Fell.
With an astrologically significant
alignment, the circle of 38 stones
holds a rectangle of 10 more and
dates from around 3,000 BC.
ª Head south on A591 to Grasmere.
and outside are eight yew trees that
he planted. One now marks the grave
that Wordsworth shares with his wife,
Mary. Nearby are buried his sister
Dorothy, four of his children, Mary’s
sister, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s
son, Hartley. Just beyond the village,
on A591 there is free parking on the
left for Dove Cottage (closed Dec 24–26
and 3 weeks in Jan), home to William,
and Dorothy from 1799 to 1808. Here,
the poet enjoyed a golden age of
creativity, and the whitewashed walls,
flagged floors and dark
panelling resonate with
his presence. Here, too,
Dorothy wrote her
Grasmere Journals. In
1802 William married
Mary Hutchinson, who
joined the household.
Guests included fellow poet
Samuel Taylor-Coleridge,
and novelists Sir Walter Scott and
Thomas de Quincey. The garden, a
“domestic slip of mountain”, has been
restored to the semi-wild state
planned for it by William and Dorothy.
ª Follow A591 alongside glorious
Rydal Water to Rydal Mount.Sign for local ice
cream, ButtermereEAT AND DRINKKESWICK
Luca’s Ristorante inexpensive
This bills itself as Keswick’s premium
Italian restaurant and has a loyal local
following. It has an extensive menu
and a riverside location.
High Hill, Greta Bridge, CA12 5NX; 017687
74621; http://www.lucasristorante.co.uk
Square Orange inexpensive
Continental-style café-bar offering great
coffee, stone-baked pizzas and tapas. It
also has indoor games for rainy days.
20 St John’s Street, CA12 5AS; 017687
73888; http://www.thesquareorange.co.uk
Highfield Restaurant expensive
With a menu that draws on local
seasonal produce, this hotel-restaurant
serves Cumbrian beef, wild venison and
award-winning Cumbrian cheeses.
The Heads, CA12 5ER; 017687 72508;
http://www.highfieldkeswick.co.uk
GRASMERE
The Jumble Room moderate
This quirky restaurant with a suitably
eclectic menu serves delights such as
traditional Graythwaite game pie and
less traditional Italo-Thai ravioli.
Langdale Rd, LA22 9SU; 015394 35188;
http://www. thejumbleroom.co.ukSHOPPING IN GRASMERESarah Nelson’s Grasmere gingerbread is
sold at Grasmere Gingerbread Shop,
in what was once the Lych Gate village
school where Wordsworth taught.
(Portinscale, CA12 5RF; 01768772 912;
http://www.derwentwatermarina.co.uk)