Grasmere Travel Guide

 northeast80 Says:  I did this last year, end March 2010, and it snowed. The hill-tops were dusted with snow and it was beautiful. We parked at White Moss Common, to the South of the Lake, which is a lovely picnic spot in itself. We had our lunch here watching the ducks, there are loos here... 

 northeast80 Says:  Luckily my visit was at the end of March 2011 (warmer and wetter) and the daffodils were in full bloom, I went the year before at the same time and they were not out yet (very cold then). It really does depend on the weather. The Wordsworth Daffodil garden is beautiful, just... 

 northeast80 Says:  To see the Wordsworth family graves in the graveyard of St.Oswald's church.The church has its roots in the 7th century when it is said that St Oswald preached on the site but the actual church there today dates from the 13th century. The major draw here are the graves and... 

 northeast80 Says:  A trip to the Lakes is not complete without the odd walk or two. We bought some walking leaflets in a visitor centre and the woman at the desk said this was the best one. This one is called Easedale Tarn. We parked in the main Grasmere car park (there is a public loo here... 

 chizz Says:  We decided to take a tour of Dove Cottage which was the poet William Wordsworth's home from 1799-1808. Here he wrote some of his best poetry such as "Daffodils" and his sister Dorothy wrote her "Grasmere Journals". Wordsworth had fallen in love with the Lake District and in... 

 chizz Says:  It is well worth a visit to buy some of Sarah Nelson's famous gingerbread which sells for around £2 per small pack. The shop opens from 9.15am - 5.30pm Mon-Sat and 12.30pm-5.30pm on Sundays but times may vary in the winter months.Sarah Nelson was a cook to Lady Marie... 

 steventilly Says:  Back at "ground level" you continue on the way to Rydal Water by following the river Rothay and staying on the right hand bank. The bridge over the river is quite picturesque and on the other side is a nice bit of woodland walk and some other picnic spots that you can find... 

 steventilly Says:  There's a very pleasant and easy walk that you can do, either around Grasmere lake or around Grasmere and Rydal Water. In both cases you can do either a full circuit or take the bus back after completeing half of the trip (the "half of the trip" is the nicest part).To get to... 

 steventilly Says:  St Oswald's is (in my mind) a quite unattractive church, with it's discoloured pebble-dashing and plain lines. It's churchyard is worth a visit though, especially for those interested in the poet William Wordsworth. Not only are he and his wife Mary buried here, but also his... 

 steventilly Says:  However you get back to Grasmere, stop off at Dove Cottage on the way. This is by the main A591 road near one of the turn-offs to Grasmere village. The location of Dove Cottage is actually the hamlet of Town End.The famous English poet William Wordsworth lived here for about... 

 steventilly Says:  You have three choices:Walk back to Grasmere via the path by the road; Walk back via an elevated route on the hill above the road (get to this path by going up past Rydal Mount and then go left);Get the bus back.We usually take option 1, though it's possibly the least... 

 steventilly Says:  Whichever route you take you'll eventually round the head of Rydal Water and cross the river that runs out of it eventually come to the road.Just over the road is a hotel & bar - "The Badger Bar", a welcome sight after the long walk, most likely more for the fact that it has... 

 127 Opinions

 steventilly Says:  Absolutely wonderful veggie restaurant, set by the river overlooking the church in the centre of Grasmere. There's a nice outdoor area, and a pleasant "rustic" interior.The food is 100% veggie, and more in the keeping of "wholefood" too - good, no-nonsense home cooking. For... 

 steventilly Says:  A great place for a picnic - just look at the views! And the gently sloping grassy bank is just great for sitting & lying on too, And it's a natural time for a break , as it's about 1/2 way into the walk to Rydal.Just bear in mind that there's still some walking to be done,... 

 northeast80 Says:  This Kendal mint cake is made in Grasmere, a large bar (170g) costs £1.20 (2011). I brought a pack back with me to give to the people on my office and ended up eating most of it myself! The shop is in a mini-arcade and also sells Grasmere ginger bread (the rival to the...