CLIMBING PIONEER

Celebrate 200 years since Dorothy Wordsworth climbed England’s tallest peak

On 7 October 1818, Dorothy Wordsworth and her friend Mary Barker climbed to the summit of Scafell Pike in the Lake District. Her account of the ascent is one of the earliest of its kind, but it also represents the pioneering role women played in promoting upland walking and mountaineering as a recreational activity.

This autumn, Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum in Grasmere is holding an exhibition dedicated to the bicentenary of Dorothy’s feat and the creativity and ambition of remarkable women. ‘This Girl Did’ is open from 1 September to 23 December, and includes the original letter describing Dorothy’s climb. wordsworth.org.uk/whats-on/