WORDSWORTH WANDER ROUTE

Leave Car Park and turn Left towards main road.  Cross Stocks Lane with care and then cross Main Road with care.  Turn Right and keep Left off main road with Wordsworh Museum on your left hand side.  Follow road up hill.

Q1.  Near top of hill where road bends to Left shortly before footpath sign goes off to left there is a Coffin Stone.  What distance is the Corpse Road from Ambleside to St. Oswald’s Church at Grasmere?    

At Farm, turn Left, SP No Through Road for Motor Vehicles after ½ mile.  Follow road as it swings Right and continues to climb.  At V junction of tracks keep to the Left SP Coffin Route to Rydal (about 10m after junction).  Where tarmac track ends keep forward along gravel path.  At Brockstone House bear right and follow track to go through 5 wooden gates and continue to follow track as it contours along hillside to eventually reach a tarmac road.  At road, turn sharp Right and descend to main road. 

Q2.  Half way down the hill on the left hand side there is a sign for the Tea Shop which is open all year – What time does the tea shop open?  

At main road turn Right and cross with extreme care – THIS ROAD IS VERY BUSY.  Take Bridle Path opposite Badger Bar and Restaurant sign.  Descend to Left and go across bridge over river.  At end of bridge go through kissing gate and take centre path uphill to kissing gate in wall.  Enter woods and follow path & steps uphill towards house.  Turn right along road keeping forward as it becomes a walled lane, go through gate and then another then take left hand path to climb eventually to a rocky outcrop with a cave.  Continue uphill to reach another larger cave (Rydal Cave).

Q3.      What was the old name for Rydal Cave?

Cross open area to right of cave and take rocky path over brow of hill and then follow it as it gradually descends.  At junction of tracks, take right hand path and at next path junction take right path again towards woods.  Go downhill to reach wall and go through a kissing gate.  Follow path as it descends through woods to eventually reach a wooden bridge over a river.  Cross bridge and turn left through a gate and follow path along side of river to reach another bridge.  Cross this bridge and turn right along lake shore keeping lake on right hand side.  At end of path along lake side, turn left and follow track uphill towards road.  At road turn right and follow road back to Grasmere.  TAKE CARE THIS ROAD IS VERY BUSY, PARTICULARLY DURING THE SUMMER AND AT WEEKENDS.

On reaching village go forward past Garden Centre to reach T junction near church.  Turn Right and follow road through village to return to start. 

Points of Interest about Grasmere & William Wordsworth

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH – William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth in 1770 and educated at Hawkshead Grammar School.  Wordsworth moved to Dove Cottage in Grasmere in 1799.  He married Mary Hutchinson, a childhood friend, in 1802 and they had five children.  William Wordsworth with his friends Robert Southey & Samuel Taylor Coleridge became what were known as ‘the Lake Poets’.  He moved to Rydal Mount with his family in 1813 and lived there until his death in 1850.  In 1813 Wordsworth was appointed ‘distributor of stamps for Westmorland’ at a salary of £400.00 which gave him the financial stability to continue with his poetry.  William Wordsworth was appointed Poet Laureate in 1843 following the death of his friend Robert Southey and held that position until his death.  Wordsworth was buried in the churchyard of St Oswalds in Grasmere along with several other members of his family.

DOVE COTTAGE – Dove Cottage was built in the early 17th Century and for over 170 years was an Inn called the ‘Dove & Bough’.  It had been empty for several years before Wordsworth moved there.  Dove Cottage was originally opened to the public in 1891 and has continued to develop as a museum. 

RYDAL MOUNT – William Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount in 1813 as his family had outgrown Dove Cottage.  He lived there until his death in 1850 and his wife continued to live there until her death in 1859.  Mary Henderson (nee Wordsworth), the great, great granddaughter of the poet bought the house and opened it to the public in 1970.

St  OSWALDS CHURCH - The Church is named after St Oswald, a 7th Century Christian King of Northumberland, who is said to have preached on this site. It is the parish church of Grasmere, Rydal and Langdale, and each township has its own separate gate into the churchyard.  Every year on the Saturday nearest St Oswald's Day (5 Aug), Grasmere celebrates its Rushbearing Festival. This custom dates back to the days when the earthen floor of the church was strewn with rushes for warmth and cleanliness. The floor has been flagged since 1841, but the ceremony still continues.

When you have completed this trail please use the Permanent Trail Entry Form

HOME    EVENTS CLUB INFORMATION   BWF    IVV

 Sunday Strolls     Evening Saunters    Permanent Trails

This Trail is registered until 31 December 2010

PAGE UPDATED Wednesday, 28 April 2010