Lake District Poetry
4th June 2020
It would be a surprise to find a person today who was unfamiliar with the famous opening lines William Wordsworth’s 1807 Lake District poetry;
‘I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils…’
This classic Lake District poem was inspired by a visit to Ullswater in 1802, a beautiful part of the Lake District and less than an hour’s drive from our Lake District cottages and is just a small example of the vast body of work inspired by the beautiful scenery of the Lake District that played host to the genius of the ‘Lake Poets’ – the group of ‘Romantic Poets’ that lived in the Lake District at the turn of the nineteenth century. Together Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth reinvigorated a societal interest in nature, and at the same time highlighted the awesome, sublime qualities of the natural landscape, along with the effects that such scenery could produce on the human soul. Their Lake District poetry became world-famous.
To those of you considering spending time in one of our luxury Lake District cottages, it is entirely possible that your desire to spend time in a beautiful part of the world and walk amongst the ‘vales and hills’, is motivated by these poets, without your knowledge. The contemplation of the beauty of nature and the natural landscape was observed by the Romantics to have an intangible and transcendental healing quality, evident when Wordsworth wrote;
‘With life and nature, purifying thus
The elements of feeling and of thought,
And sanctifying, by such discipline
Both pain and fear, until we recognize
A grandeur in the beatings of the heart.’
Wordsworth clearly believed that nature was incredibly important in a person’s life.
Whilst staying at one of our Lake District cottages, you too can contemplate the surrounding beauty and recognise ‘A grandeur in the beatings of the heart.’
Wordsworth’s cottage, Dove Cottage in Grasmere is 45 minutes drive from all 6 of our holiday cottages. Here’s a link to the National Trusts’ William Wordsworth website
The peaceful and relaxing countryside locations in which our cottages are located will give you a great opportunity to get away and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the English Lake District…and maybe you’ll even be so inspired yourself to write your own Lake District poetry.
Click here to browse our selection of beautiful Lake District cottages.