8:45am Monday 4th January 2010
By Telegraph & Argus
Grasmere’s most famous resident once described the Lake District village as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found” – and two centuries on, the sentiment still holds true.
Of course, beauty is all around in this scenic part of Cumbria, but poet William Wordsworth did not overestimate its attraction.
Any visitor will take inspiration from Grasmere, and a trip to anywhere in the Lakes would not be complete without a walk into the wild.
Thankfully, for an inexperienced rambler like myself, the landscape here is on a more human scale than the commanding heights of Scafell or Helvellyn.
Sturdy boots, a bottle of water and some sunshine is all you need for a bracing walk up Helm Crag, the peak overshadowing the village.
Alfred Wainwright, the leading chronicler of Lakeland walks, described it as “an exhilarating little climb”.
The route is well-marked from the centre of the village, and while the climb can be steep in parts, you needn’t be a mountain goat to complete the walk leisurely in half a day.
At just over 400m, this peak is merely a foothill of the Lakes, but it provides the kinds of beautiful panorama that so inspired Wordsworth to write his sublime poetry.
Some people might say that a real outdoor adventure should include primus stove, a sleeping bag and tent.
But rain-sodden, legs like jelly and foot-sore, I was more than happy to be watered and fed at surely one of the Lake District’s best hotels, the Rothay Garden in Grasmere, run by Chris Carss and his team.
After a £2 million redevelopment, this is the newest four-star hotel in the Lakes. Its sumptuous bedrooms, chic lounges and gardens nestling by the River Rothay are an oasis of luxury after a day on the fells.
With two AA Rosettes, the hotel’s Conservatory Restaurant is renowned for its hearty four-course menu and use of the Lakeland’s abundant fresh produce. With a menu changing daily, featuring dishes such as ballontine of quail, pan-fried pigeon supreme and Cartmel salt marsh lamb, venturing outside the hotel to eat seemed a real shame.
Grasmere is, of course, synonymous with Wordsworth, who was most prolific during the many years he lived in the village.
Famously in his best-loved poem, 1804’s The Daffodils, he tells how he “wandered lonely as a cloud”.
There is little chance of wandering too lonely in Grasmere these days – Wordsworth himself being one of the reasons.
Along with Rydal Mount, Dove Cottage – a Grade One-listed building – was one of his two homes there, and between 1799 and 1808 he composed some of the most supreme poetry in the English language while in residence.
A fascinating guided tour is available, and England’s literary history seeps from the cottage’s white-washed walls.
His furniture, portraits and family chattels are all on display for you to see where the master poet sat to down to write his immortal words.
Wordsworth lies with his family in graves in one of the village’s greatest attractions, St Oswald’s Church – a simple but pleasant stone edifice dating back to the 13th century.
The lovely churchyard, with the River Rothay running beside, is a little oasis of quiet away from the busy narrow streets of the village, and well worth a visit if only to see Wordsworth’s final resting place.
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