Holiday rentals in Grasmere

Grasmere has all the ingredients of a quintessential Lake District village. A prime location on the shore of its own quiet lake (no motor boats here); a breathtaking backdrop of fells and mountains; a welter of pretty cottages, slate houses, and pubs — and of course a slew of connections to the Romantic poets. William Wordsworth himself lived here, and you can visit Dove Cottage, where he and his sister Dorothy both wrote; you can also see their tombstones in the graveyard of St Oswald’s. The 13th-century church, at the heart of the village on the river Rothay, sits alongside a beautiful flower garden, as well as the 400-year-old schoolhouse where William and Dorothy once taught — it’s now a bakery producing the village’s signature gingerbread. The lake, overlooked by Dollywaggon Pike and Fairfield Peak, offers stunning walking trails in every direction, and has been an inspiration to artists as well as poets.

The summer, when the temperatures are at their highest, is an understandably popular season in Grasmere. It’s when cottages are booked up, local attractions are at their liveliest, and when the Lake Artists Summer Exhibition is held, running from the end of July to September. August is the time to enjoy other traditions too — St Oswald’s Day, in the first week of August, sees the village’s Rushbearing festival, while the last weekend in August hosts its legendary Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, a sports day that’s one of the oldest customs in the Lake District. Spring is when Wordsworth’s favourite daffodils bloom, and a particularly pretty time in the village, although autumn brings its own colourful charm, and both are marginally less busy times to visit. Even the winter is beautiful — but chilly!

Allan Bank

One of the three houses where Wordsworth lived during his 50 years in the area, this Georgian villa has wooded grounds that are home to a population of endangered red squirrels. There are deckchairs on the front lawn, an open fire in the library, and binoculars to help you spot the local wildlife.

Barney’s Newsbox

Maybe it’s the Zen-like calm of the surroundings that makes the Lake District such a hotspot for jigsaw puzzles. The two have gone together for a long time, and nowhere in England houses more than Barney’s. The store has 7,000 to choose from and more than 30,000 in stock.

Rydal

Less than an hour’s walk along the lake from Grasmere is Rydal Water, another small lake with its own little village, under the shadow of Loughrigg Fell. It’s a peaceful spot with Wordsworth’s most famous home, Rydal Mount, on its banks; he lived here from 1813 to 1850, and its attractive five-acre garden is still as he planted it.