DAVE FLETT enjoys a visit to beautiful Grasmere

WILLIAM Wordsworth might have wondered - maybe even as lonely as a cloud - why it has taken so long, but he would have fully endorsed the Lake District’s award of UNESCO World Heritage status.

Indeed, a wander around Grasmere lake, on which the famous former Poet Laureate often ice-skated at the turn of the 19th century, offers fuel to his conviction that the village he called home for 14 years was “the loveliest spot man hath ever known”.

During our late-autumn visit to Wordsworth country, we enjoyed a stunning early-morning stroll around one of the District’s smallest lakes – Grasmere is around three miles in circumference – with a red squirrel and deer accompanying us at different stages.

Such thrills merit the recognition that has now seen the Lakes join the likes of the Grand Canyon and Taj Mahal as “UNESCO sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture and heritage of humanity”.

The only surprise is this official endorsement has been given more than two centuries since Wordsworth first told the world of the Lakes’ unique beauty, although the 18 million annual visitors probably provided affirmation long before UNESCO’s committee made their welcome decision this year.

Of those tourists, 85,000 now visit Dove Cottage although, like the Lakes, it took a while for the outside world to fully appreciate the charm of the house where Wordsworth lived between 1799 and 1808 and where he wrote many of his most-renowned works.

The Cottage was first opened to the public in 1891 with a note on the door reading “for admission apply to Mrs Dixon opposite”.

It cost 6d to have a look around and only four people visited on the opening day.

Since then, as entries in the original visitors’ book testify, many notable names have paid a call, including the likes of Woodrow Wilson, EM Forster, Virginia Woolf, Alan Ginsberg, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan and Ann Widdicombe.

On our arrival, we were part of a small group that was guided around the house by an informative guide.

Large parts of the house have changed little since Wordsworth owned the building and other sections have been restored carefully to mimic its 18th century appearance.

A highlight of our little tour included seeing the couch on which Wordsworth famously lay while he looked across at the lake and found the inspiration for his much-loved Daffodils poem.

There was also a framed certificate of his Laureatcy, issued by Queen Victoria, hanging on a wall.

Just as interesting, though, were the everyday artefacts from Wordworth’s era, such as the wooden toothbrush which, along with an application of soot, would have served as dental hygiene.

His passport, meanwhile, was on display with “greying, balding and possessing white eyebrows” listed amongst the Grasmere great’s distinguishing features.

The museum that is attached to the cottage and housed in a more modern building provides an excellent insight into Wordsworth’s life, his family, his friendships and the motivation behind many of his poems.

Even if you’re not a fan, it is unlikely that you will come away without a verse or two that carry some lasting resonance.

After our visit to Dove Cottage, we stopped off at The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.

During our two-day break, the queue always stretched outside the former Church Cottage home, where Sarah Nelson first invented, mixed and baked her world-famous recipe in the mid-1850s.

These days, the likes of Tom Cruise and Jamie Oliver are confirmed devotees and the crunchiness of the gingerbread, along with its gooey, centre was a mouth-watering treat.

For anybody wanting to wash down the gingerbread, meanwhile, there are an array of welcoming coffee shops in the village to choose from – all privately run with not a shopping-centre brand name in sight and great places for anybody arriving back from a day’s walking.

Along with the small hike we enjoyed, many trails start in the village, including the ascent of Helm Crag, a longer route up to Fairfield and a moderate 200-metre ascent to Easedale Tarn.

We also enjoyed a spectacular drive through the hills and snaking roads to take a cruise with Ullswater Steamers, where the hiking routes at the boat’s several stop-off points looked equally as breathtaking.

Should you want to take a little bit of the Lakes home with you, meanwhile, Grasmere’s Heaton Cooper Studio is worth a look.

A gallery, largely depicting local landscapes, sells original paintings by renowned artists for prices up to £5,000 or, for those of us without a bank account in the Cayman Islands, prints are available at a more realistic £22.

We stayed in The Wordsworth Hotel & Spa’s Ruskin Suite whilst in Grasmere and were delighted with its level of hospitality.

Our suite had a lounge area, which housed a sofa bed for our eight-year-old daughter, a television in both rooms, a coffee machine and complimentary Grasmere Gingerbread.

It was also decorated in good taste, retaining its Victorian heritage, whilst meeting modern expectations of comfort.

The open fire in the reception area was a very inviting sight after coming in from the cold, as were the sauna, Jacuzzi and swimming pool.

We ate in the hotel’s 2 AA Rosette-rated Signature Restaurant and really enjoyed the £40 set menu, with my highlight the tasty tempura and ginger prawn starter.

There is also the option to dine in the more relaxed and homely Dove Bistro, where the food looked equally inviting, while the breakfast was excellently cooked and full of choice to provide plenty of fuel for the day ahead.

Prices at The Wordsworth Hotel & Spa start from £99 per night bed and breakfast and rooms can be booked by visiting http://thewordsworthhotel.co.uk/ or calling 01539 435592.