Grasmere
The location:
Grasmere is a delightful village in the heart of the Lake District. It is also the name of the lake on which the village stands. The village is overlooked by Helm Crag, also known as The Lion and the Lamb or The Old Lady at the Piano (depending on which way you are looking at it). These names have been used to describe the shapes of the rocks on Helm Crag’s summit. The village thrives on tourism, brought on by its most famous inhabitant, William Wordsworth. William Wordsworth described Grasmere as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.Did you know?
Sting has a house in the area.There is a piece of land between the church and the river which has become the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden, where you can have an engraved stone set in the path. Among the names are Rolf Harris, Michael Ball and Gloria Hunniford.
Famous people
William Wordsworth moved into Dove Cottage with his sister Dorothy in 1799 before eventually moving to Rydal Mount. William Wordsworth died while out walking in 1850. There is a simple tombstone for him and his wife, Mary, in the churchyard of St Oswald’s Church.Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived in Dove Cottage with William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy.
Sarah Nelson, the original maker of the world famous Grasmere Gingerbread.
Things to do
TPleasant walks around the lake or along the river. Hire a rowing boat on the lake, available from March to November. Take in a story by world-renowned storyteller, Taffy Thomas. Visit the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, housed in the former village school, or the Heaton Cooper Studio where there is a permanent display of work by W Heaton Cooper and A Heaton Cooper, two of the most recognized watercolour artists of the Lake District. Or in the summer you can enjoy the Rushbearing Festival, the Lake Artists Society Summer Exhibition in Grasmere Village Hall or Grasmere Sports Day, one of the oldest and most popular events in the Lake District, which is held in late August every year.See Also: The Grasmere Suite in Windermere