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William Wordsworth

Last updated: 26 March, 2024

The Lake District is indelibly linked with the ‘Romantic Movement’, the generation of 18th-century poets who drew inspiration from nature and the world around them.

Chief among them was William Wordsworth, who was born in the Lake District and spent much of his childhood and adult life here.

Several sites associated with the poet can be visited, including three of his former homes and his childhood school, as well as his last resting place in the peaceful churchyard of St Oswald’s in Grasmere.

For a general overview of Wordsworth and the Romantic Movement, head for the Wordsworth Museum, next to Dove Cottage.

Who to go with: tour operators

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Dove Cottage (& Wordsworth Museum)

  • Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

  • Bucket List Experience

exterior of the small white cottage

Experience

Take a guided tour around Wordsworth’s charming cottage near Grasmere to get a fascinatingly personal insight into the poet’s life and times – and don’t miss the brilliant museum next door.

Adult price 12

Good for age: 18+

Grasmere Village

  • Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Pedestrians outside the gift shop and cafe in the Main Street in the centre of Grasmere Village

Experience

The region’s most picturesque and charming village. Grasmere is set on the shores of its eponymous lake and cradled by green fields and fells. William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s – you can see the poet’s tombstone.

Good for age: 18+

Duration: 3 hours

Hawkshead Grammar School

  • Hawkshead, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Exterior of the school, a small white building

Experience

Wordsworth attended the little village school in Hawkshead. Learn about the poet’s early life and education on a guided tour, and also look out for the school desk where he mischievously carved his name.

Adult price 4

Good for age: 18+

Duration: 3 hours

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Rydal Mount

  • Rydal, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

  • Bucket List Experience

Exterior of the house

Experience

Wordsworth’s grand family home between Ambleside and Grasmere is an essential stop: it’s full of memorabilia, and offers an intriguing glimpse of the Wordsworth family’s daily life in the Lakes.

Adult price 5

Good for age: 18+

Wordsworth House and Garden

  • Cockermouth, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Visitors in the garden in June at Wordsworth House, Cumbria, the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy.

Experience

Wordsworth’s childhood home in Cockermouth is now owned by the National Trust, and offers an absorbing glimpse of the poet’s early life, with costumed guides on hand to help illustrate the story.

Adult price 8

Good for age: 18+

Duration: 3 hours

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Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: 3 hours

Who to go with: organised tours

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

William Wordsworth: Morning Half Day Tour with an Expert Guide

  • Windermere

William Wordsworth: Morning Half Day Tour with an Expert Guide

Viator

This tour takes you to: • Grasmere Village where William Wordsworth lived. • Church Stile the former inn where William Wordsworth, his brother John and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge stayed for several days during their Lake District tour in 1797. • Grasmere Gingerbread Shop where Sarah Nelson invented the world famous "Grasmere Gingerbread" in 1854. • The Wordsworth family graves. • St Oswald's Church where the Wordsworth family worshipped. • Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived from 1799 to 1808. • Views of Grasmere, the beautiful lake the Wordsworths knew so well. • Rydal Mount William Wordsworth's best loved family home from 1813 to his death in 1850. • Rydal Hall Gardens where Wordsworth admired the waterfall from the "grot" viewing house. • Rydal Church built on the site chosen by William Wordsworth which also inspired two of his poems. • Dora's Field bought by William Wordsworth in 1826. • Views of Rydal Water, one of the smaller lakes.

Price £89

Min age 0

Rating 5 / 5 [7 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Destination guides

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Lake District

  • Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

beautiful landscape in the Lake District

Destination guide

Imposing mountains, wild landscapes, tranquil lakes and picturesque towns combine to make the Lake District uniquely beautiful, and one of the best places in Britain for walking, climbing, boating and biking.