While the Great Lakes of Canada span the entire nation, Britain’s Lake District is contained in the most idyllic 2,292 square km in the country.
My job comes with a few perks, one of which is press trips and none of which have been lovelier than my stay in Grasmere last weekend. Three hours north of London, Grasmere was once described by William Wordsworth as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found.”
The village was the home of the famous Romantic poet, alongside other writers including Samuel Coleridge and Beatrix Potter. It lies in the middle of the Lake District and is ideally located to explore other parts of the region, like England’s highest mountain — Scafell Pike.
As I had only one full day to take it all in, I opted to spend my time in and around Grasmere. I wasn’t disappointed.
Although I arrived in the off-season, the weather was dry and crisp so that bundling up for a walk was essential, while getting wet wasn’t. On Saturday morning, I set off on a three-hour trek to Easedale Tarn. For those who don’t know, as I until recently didn’t, a tarn is a mountain lake excavated by a glacier.
The ascent was accompanied by a series of striking waterfalls to my right, herds of contented sheep to my left, and the company of jovial locals throughout — not to mention their valiant mountain-climbing dogs.
I’m not sure if it was the unusually mild weather or if Lake District residents are simply a happier species than Londoners, but I suspect living amongst that kind of beauty does the spirits nothing but good.
But the welcome chatter fell to tranquil silence as climbers reached the summit, the climactic scene worthy of poetry no less eloquent than Wordsworth’s.
The reflection of snow-capped peaks in the still tarn was so clear, it was impossible to distinguish between the original and the replica, until an eager retriever made ripples in the latter as he chanced a swim in the winter waters.
With no golden coat of my own, I returned to the village to warm up, compelled by the lure of fresh gingerbread. A shop exclusive to Grasmere has been making gingerbread since 1854 and its product is widely known as the “best gingerbread in the world,” which was all the convincing I needed.
Unlike modern gingerbread recipes in which a modest teaspoon of ginger extract is used, a delicate layer of puréed ginger gives these biscuits a sharper experience that pleasantly surprises the unsuspecting tongue. I was back for seconds before I could finish my tea.
“The loveliest spot that man hath ever found?” Poor Wordsworth, who died just four years before the shop opened, might have held on if he’d known it would only get better.
To absolve my gluttony, I embarked on a second expedition. This time I traversed the trails around Grasmere Lake, where you can hire row boats in warmer months for a fresh perspective on the area.
Quaint houses surrounded by dry-stone walls line the lake’s perimeters. Their arched entrances and cobbled walkways reminded me of The Secret Garden, while shiny red post-boxes built into the cottages’ stonework looked like something straight out of The Shire.
Though I desperately wanted to see inside these gorgeous homes, it was no hardship to return to my hotel room, which featured garden doors that opened out to a flowing river I could still hear as I drifted off to sleep.
Hotel packages in the Lake District typically include breakfast, dinner and spa access, but these retreats are costly at almost $200 per person per night. I recommend interspersing luxurious four-star hotels with low-key bed and breakfasts if you get an opportunity to visit this beautiful part of the world. That, or hiding out in one of those adorable gardens until the residents agree to take you in.
Brit Kennedy grew up in Red Deer and graduated from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. She attended university in Scotland and is now living and working in London, England.