England Travel - Of Lakeland Poets and Swans with Attitude

Picturesque Lake District is one of the most visited places in Great Britain

The Lake District has so much worth seeing that my fiancé and I decided to spend four leisurely days in the famous county. Being a literature buff, I wanted to visit all places associated with William Wordsworth, the 18thcentury poet who lived most of his life in these parts.

Hiking and photography being two of my husband Andy’s hobbies, we planned a hike around Rydal Water and Grasmere, arguably the most beautiful of all the lakes in the area. A cruise upon Lake Windermere and a short drive to Conistan, rounding yet another beautiful stretch of water, would yield many more photo opportunities.

Early the first morning, we bought our tickets at Dove Cottage, just outside Grasmere Village, and received a guided tour of the home of William Wordsworth. Grasmere was his residence from 1799 to 1808, his most prolific years as a poet. His sister Dorothy wrote her famous journals while living there. Originally built as a 17th century inn, and still furnished with the poet’s belongings, the cottage is a lovely piece of literary history.

The same tickets gained us entrance to the Wordsworth Museum and Gallery nearby. On display are incredible treasures, such as the original manuscripts of Coleridge, Thomas De Quincey and other Wordsworth contemporaries.

We had lovely weather for the uphill trek along Coffin Path which led us to a panoramic view of Lake Grasmere. A pleasant hike took us all the way to Rydal Mount, Wordsworth’s home from 1813 until his death in 1850. Beyond the four-acre garden, which the poet himself landscaped, is a little desolate plot of land known as Dora’s Field, which was a present from Wordsworth to his favorite daughter. We saw the field out of season, but were reassured that, come April, daffodils would bloom in profusion, echoing the words of Wordsworth’s famous poem, The Daffodils.

We found Rydal Falls on the other side of Rydal Mount. A little ancient humpbacked bridge spanned a trickle of water, too photogenic to miss. At the foot of the hill, we crossed a lane and came upon emerald Rydal Water. We stopped to admire a patch of water lilies that would not have looked out of place in Monet’s garden at Giverny.Further on, where Rydal Water gave way to Lake Grasmere, a flock of swans floated serenely. One deigned to pose for our cameras, calmly ignoring several dogs barking at the edge of his territory. The bird appeared fully aware of the fact all swans in England are Her Majesty’s property and thus immune from harm. He settled lower in the water, his webbed feet tucked up, in complete and utter disdain of both canines and humans.

After two nights in southern Lakeland, we drove half an hour north to spend the next couple of nights in Bassenthwaite at Willow Cottage. Lovingly restored, with a wealth of exposed beams, the cottage is quaintly decorated and wonderfully cozy.

The next morning, we stopped off at Ambleside where a little bookshop opposite the bus station yielded several biographies of the Bronte sisters. Charlotte, Emily and Anne lived not far away in Haworth, and often visited a family friend in the area.

We had time before the next cruise set sail from the pier of Ambleside, so we stopped at a lakeside tea shop where Andy sampled the best rum butter scone of his life. Soon it was time to board the cruise boat which took us on a tour around Lake Windermere. As we sailed past sedate mansions sitting grandly back from the shoreline, more of the lake unfolded, each cove claimed by a pair of territorial white swans.

A short drive from Conistan town center is Brantwood, former home of the artist, poet and social critic John Ruskin, who was reputed to have one of the finest views in England. As we stood on a slope high on the grounds of Brantwood, looking out on a sunny afternoon, beautiful Conistan Water shimmered like a diamond.

The rambling 18th century house, filled with paintings and much of the original furniture, reflects Ruskin’s many interests. Sadly, the estate gardens were past their seasonal best as we strolled around that September day, but it was still fun to explore the trellis walk, fern garden, and root out the ice house, invaluable in pre-refrigerator times.

John Ruskin inspired Tolstoy and Gandhi, among others, and his influence led to the development of the Welfare State and the National Trust, as well as education reform and public museums. A philanthropist, Ruskin conceived the idea of an ice house to supply ice to feverish patients in hospital.

Yet another famous denizen of the Lake District was Beatrix Potter, creator of the children’s books featuring Peter Rabbit. A successful farmer, animal breeder, and visionary conservationist, potter was instrumental in preserving much of the land and cottages in the area. The cottage where she lived and wrote her stories is a popular tourist attraction that delights both young and young-at-heart.

Author: J.C. Hall and Andy C.T. Ho