Crosthwaite Church

Situated on the outskirts of Keswick, Crossthwaite Parish Church is dedicated to St. Kentigern who came to Keswick in 553 AD. There has been a church on this site ever since. The present church was built in 1181 with alterations and enlargements in the 16th Century and extensive restoration in 1844 by Sir George Gilbert Scott who was a leading architect of the Gothic revival style. Your guide will take you to see the grave of Robert Southey in the churchyard and then into the church to see the splendid memorial to him. The epitaph and memorial were written by William Wordsworth who succeeded him in the post of Poet Laureate.

30 minutes

Wordsworth House and Garden

On every day except Fridays, we visit Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, a lovely Georgian townhouse, the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. The house is presented as it would have been when they lived there with their parents, three brothers and household servants. Here you can experience life in the 1770s with real food on the dining table, a fire burning in the kitchen grate and a recipe William and Dorothy might have eaten for you to taste. Ink and quill pens are ready in the clerk's office, and if you play the piano you might like to try the replica harpsicord. After a quick 'hello' to the small flock of heritage chickens in the garden, we move on to our lunch stop near Grasmere.

50 minutes

Hawkshead Grammar School Museum

On Fridays, we begin with a trip to Hawkshead Grammar School, before moving on to Greta Hall in Keswick, the former home of the poets Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

30 minutes

Lancrigg - Wordsworths Woodland Walks

The location for our lunch (not included) has many stories to tell, not to mention a never-ending list of visitors including many writers, painters and explorers. It was here, whilst visiting their dear friend Elizabeth Fletcher, that William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy would stroll around the grounds pausing only for Dorothy to note down William's words. Their favourite places, such as Dorothy's Seat and Wordsworth's Well, are dotted around the 30 acres of grounds.

1 hour

Allan Bank

We will see the outside of Allan Bank, one of Wordsworth's homes in Grasmere village.

The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop

Having enjoyed lunch we take a short drive into the picturesque village of Grasmere. Your guide will take you on a short walk to see the Rectory where the Wordsworths lived for two years and also the school where William and Dorothy taught and which is now where the famous Grasmere Gingerbread is made.

5 minutes

St Oswald's Church

St. Oswald's Church, cradled in its sublime Lakeland setting, is where Wordsworth chose as his last resting place rather than at Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. We will explore the church and visit the graves of the Wordsworth family.

30 minutes

Wordsworth Daffodil Garden

We will have a brief opportunity to see this garden dedicated to Wordsworth's Daffodil poem

5 minutes

Wordsworth Grasmere

After enjoying Grasmere Village, we now move on to Dove Cottage, the home where Wordsworth with his sister Dorothy lived in from December 1799 to May 1808. There is major development work happening at Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum during 2019. The tour includes either a guided visit to Dove Cottage or a guided virtual tour of the cottage depending upon the availability on the day of your visit.

1 hour

Wordsworth Grasmere

Unfortunately the museum will be shut for all of 2019

Lake Grasmere

We pass along the shore of Grasmere

Rydal Water

Rydal Water is the next lake we travel past

Rydal Mount & Gardens

After the death of two of their children, the Wordsworth family felt that they had to move away from Grasmere Rectory with its constant view of the graveyard where they were buried. In 1813, they moved to Rydal Mount. This was William Wordsworth's best loved family home for the greater part of his life from 1813 to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. The house with its beautiful gardens were a focus for romantic literature. They continue to be owned by descendants of William Wordsworth and retain the feel of a lived in family home. The house dates from the 16th century and was enlarged over the intervening centuries, and also by Wordsworth himself. It contains a selection of the family's prized possessions and portraits. Wordsworth was a keen landscape gardener and the five acre garden remains very much as he designed it. It consists of fell-side terraces, rock pools and an ancient mound. Entry to Rydal Mount is included in the price of this tour.

1 hour 30 minutes

Dora's Field

Near to Rydal Mount is Rydal Church. The chapel of St Mary was built by Lady le Fleming, of Rydal Hall in 1824. William Wordsworth helped to choose the site, which was originally an orchard. The Wordsworth family and the family of the English poet Matthew Arnold, from nearby Fox How, worshipped here. Their family pews are on each side of the aisle at the front of the church. Wordsworth was church warden from 1833-1834, and there is a memorial plaque to him. The Rash field next to the churchyard is a plot of land which was bought by Wordsworth who originally intended to build on it. The house never materialised. After his daughter Dora died in 1847, William went down to this field, and together with his wife and gardener, planted hundreds of daffodils as a memorial to Dora.

20 minutes

Rydal Hall Gardens

You will get a brief view of Rydal Hall and its gardens.

10 minutes

The Bridge House

As we travel back towards Ambleside, you will get the chance to see the famous Bridge House, an iconic symbol of this part of the Lake District.