Last update:
21 October 2004

Grasmere is only a few miles from Ambleside and was home to William Wordsworth from 1799 until 1808. The poet was buried in 1850 in St Oswald's churchyard, where a simple stone marks his grave. Today you can enjoy Wordsworth relics and manuscripts both at his home Dove Cottage, at the southern end of the villages, and at the nearby museum.

Just further north is the lake of Ulswater here you can watch or join the sailing boats gliding across Ullswater and explore the charming villages of Pooley Bridge, Glenridding and Patterdale which offer local craft shops, stunning views and great atmosphere. The North Pennines is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where the open rolling hills give way to high moorland, the haunt of grouse and curlew. Here fell walkers and trekkers can enjoy some of the most undisturbed countryside in England.

While in the area why not take the winding Kirkstone Pass road, which offer's you a rewarded at the summit by one of the most breathtaking panoramas in Cumbria. Kirkstone Pass is the highest pass in the region open to motorists, and it links Patterdale to Windermere. It reaches 1489 feet at its summit.