• Crosthwaite Church - Located on the outskirts of Keswick, Crossthwaite Parish Church is dedicated to St. Kentigern, who arrived in Keswick in 553 AD. A church has stood on this site ever since. The current church was constructed in 1181, with modifications and expansions in the 16th century and significant restoration in 1844 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, a prominent architect of the Gothic revival style. Your guide will show you the grave of Robert Southey in the churchyard and then take you inside the church to see the magnificent memorial to him. The epitaph and memorial were written by William Wordsworth, who succeeded Southey as Poet Laureate.
• Wordsworth House and Garden - Every day except Fridays, we visit Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, a charming Georgian townhouse that was 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 that 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 harpsichord. After a quick ‘hello’ to the small flock of heritage chickens in the garden, we move on to our lunch stop near Grasmere.
• Hawkshead Grammar School Museum - On Fridays, we start with a visit to Hawkshead Grammar School before heading to Greta Hall in Keswick, the former home of poets Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
• Lancrigg - Wordsworths Woodland Walks - Our lunch location (not included) has many stories to tell, along with a long list of visitors, including many writers, painters, and explorers. It was here, while 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 favorite spots, such as Dorothy’s Seat and Wordsworth’s Well, are scattered around the 30 acres of grounds.
• Allan Bank - We will see the exterior of Allan Bank, one of Wordsworth’s homes in Grasmere village.
• The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop - After lunch, we take a short drive to the picturesque village of Grasmere. Your guide will take you on a brief walk to see the Rectory where the Wordsworths lived for two years and the school where William and Dorothy taught, which is now where the famous Grasmere Gingerbread is made.
• St. Oswald’s Church - Nestled in its beautiful Lakeland setting, St. Oswald’s Church is where Wordsworth chose to be buried rather than at Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. We will explore the church and visit the graves of the Wordsworth family.
• Wordsworth Daffodil Garden - We will have a brief opportunity to see this garden dedicated to Wordsworth’s Daffodil poem.
• Wordsworth Grasmere - After enjoying Grasmere Village, we move on to Dove Cottage, the home where Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived from December 1799 to May 1808. Major development work is 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 on availability on the day of your visit.
• Wordsworth Grasmere - Unfortunately, the museum will be closed 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 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 most beloved family home for the majority of his life, from 1813 until his death in 1850 at the age of 80. The house, with its beautiful gardens, was a focal point for romantic literature. It continues to be owned by descendants of William Wordsworth and retains the feel of a lived-in family home. The house dates from the 16th century and was expanded over the intervening centuries, including by Wordsworth himself. It contains a selection of the family’s prized possessions and portraits. Wordsworth was an avid landscape gardener, and the five-acre garden remains 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.
• Dora’s Field - Near Rydal Mount is Rydal Church. The chapel of St. Mary was built by Lady le Fleming of Rydal Hall in 1824. William Wordsworth helped choose the site, which was originally an orchard. The Wordsworth family and the family of 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 bought by Wordsworth, who originally intended to build on it. The house never materialized. After his daughter Dora died in 1847, William went to this field and, together with his wife and gardener, planted hundreds of daffodils as a memorial to Dora.

• Rydal Hall Gardens - You will get a brief view of Rydal Hall and its gardens.
• Bridge House - As we travel back towards Ambleside, you will have the chance to see the famous Bridge House, an iconic symbol of this part of the Lake District.

• Qualified driver in addition to guide for your safety
• Plenty of time to enjoy every stop we make
• Live commentary on board
• Knowledgeable guide available throughout the tour
• Lunch stop in Grasmere

• Food and drinks