Grasmere, Lake District
Explore the high fells around Grasmere for some of the best views, tarns, waterfalls and peaks the Lake District has to offer.
Grasmere is a bit like Stratfordupon-Avon, because it often seems every visitor is making some sort of literary pilgrimage. But Wordsworth wasn’t the first person to write about the area. In 1769, the poet Thomas Gray was captivated by Grasmere – ‘a little unsuspected paradise’ – and, a few years later, William Wilberforce compared it to ‘the happy valley’ in Samuel Johnson’s story about the Prince of Abyssinia.
Now, 250 years later, the area is still rather special. A weekend exploring the fells above the village takes you to high summits, rocky peaks, sublime tarns and crashing waterfalls, and the glorious horseshoe around the forgotten Greenburn valley might just be Britain’s best walk below 2000ft. The climb up to Steel Fell is steep, but the knobbly ridge leading to the well-known rocky outcrops on Helm Crag is the perfect Lakeland rollercoaster.
And don’t forget to try the famous local gingerbread. The little shop is next to Grasmere’s churchyard where, if you want to pay homage, you can visit the Wordsworth family grave.