One of the best ways to spend an afternoon in the English Lake District is to walk in the footsteps of William Wordsworth. The famous poet called Grasmere, “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found,” and I am inclined to agree.
For a girl who loves small towns, swears she was British in another life, and thinks grass green is the most beautiful color in the spectrum, Grasmere seems like something out of a dream.
The fields and hills of Grasmere
Photo by: c.b.w. 2005
Situated in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria, Grasmere is surrounded by pastoral fields full of sheep, cozy cottages, and that famous English mist. Even though Grasmere is often a tourist hub for buses heading in and out of the Lake District, it’s easy enough to escape the crowds and experience the local flavor of the region.
As usual, I veered from the tour group and wandered through the less trod areas of the village. I grabbed a hand churned ice cream cone before striking into the adventure of exploring side streets.
One of the first things to capture my interest was an old cemetery. No one famous is buried there, but I’ve always been fascinated by gravestones. I can’t help but wonder about the stories these people have to tell.
Cemetery in Grasmere
Photo by: c.b.w. 2005
Grasmere is pretty small, so it wasn’t long before I found myself at the outskirts with a half-eaten ice cream cone. Sheep roam freely in the green fields, but they are fenced in by an interesting phenomenon known as drystone walls. Stones are intricately stacked to created sturdy stone fences without the use of mortar or any other reinforcement.
Drystone fence and sheep in Grasmere
Photo by: c.b.w. 2005
The air was so fresh and clean, I leaned against one of those drystone walls and took a few deep breaths English country air. I don’t know how long I stood there, but it wasn’t long enough!
Upon leaving Grasmere, I considered myself lucky for privilege of walking through this dream world even if for a moment.
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Part of the A to Z Challenge!
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c.b.w. 2013
C.B. Wentworth 
Beautiful photos of a magical place!
Beth
http://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com
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Thanks! 🙂 The lovely thing about Grasmere is I didn’t have to do much to take a pretty picture. Point and shoot – the landscape is beautiful from every direction. 🙂
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o my goodness, my heart just swells at seeing these photographs! England is a truly beautiful country. I am not surprised at the writers, poets, artists who have come out of England.
Thank you for this wonderful post CB – and we remember Margaret Thatcher who had just died.
Susan Scott’s Soul Stuff
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I was shocked to see Thatcher’s passing on the news this morning. May she be at peace.
The English countryside is amazing and I’m anxious to return!
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Great theme for the A-Z – and these pics from Grasmere are great. The drystone fencing is interesting. I wonder do they still make those?
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I think they do still make those fences, just not as frequently as in the past. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by – glad you’re enjoying the series.
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Beautiful photos. I love how you kind of framed the story with the ice cream.
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Food always plays a central role in my travels – especially ice cream! 🙂
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Ah, you should have come just a little further north while you were at it, Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world. Mountains, lochs and castles, you can almost forgive it the terrible weather – and when the sun does shine? Oh my.
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Been there and it was spectacular! 🙂
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LIke out of a story book! So green!
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It’s no wonder Beatrix Potter found so much inspiration in the same region! 🙂
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Love the photo’s. Dry stone walls are amazing aren’t they. How they’re so stable is beyond me!
Stopping by from the A to Z, have a great month!
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They truly are a marvel. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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you gave me what I most needed today….green grass and pastural landscape and an escape to another time and place. Thanks! You camara takes fantastic pictures. What type is it?
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Glad the green reprieve gave you a smile.
As for the camera, hmmmm . . . I think back then I had a Canon Powershot, (the cheap one). Nothing special. 🙂
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C.B., you have taken me to a place I’ve always dreamed of, the Lake District and Grasmere! Family members have travelled there but not my husband and me. These photos bring a sense of the beauty and intriguing atmosphere of the place. You do a lovely job with your photography! And your writing is transformative!
Sherrey at Healing by Writing
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Thanks so much for the kind words. I had always heard of the beauty of the Lake District, but I can honestly say pictures and words do it no justice. Being there is nothing short of incredible.
I hope you’ll get there one day!
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Lovely! I’m dying to see the Peak and Lake Districts 😀 Thanks for sharing!
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There still some areas of the Lake District I haven’t seen, so I have a reason to go back! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this little slice of the English countryside.
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Gorgeous! The Lake District is on my must see list. You make it even more enticing.
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Those gorgeous green hills are pretty hard to resist! 🙂
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What a wonderful place!!! I tend to agree with you about the green colour! 🙂
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Aside from the green, the mist is my favorite part. 🙂
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This is a place I’d love to visit!
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Once again you have taken my breath away. Beautiful pictures of magical places. Lovely.
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Glad you enjoyed the pictures. I’ve been wanting to share them for a long time – the A to Z Challenge finally gave me a reason! 🙂
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Wow… how green is that grass? It is almost luminous. Don’t see that type of green in Australia. it’s usually too dry!
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We have the same brown variety of grass in Arizona. 🙂
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Hi CB. I’ve lost the plot that last few days with commenting but that means I’ve had a bunch of your posts to enjoy all in one go. You have visited some wonderful places. The Charles Bridge! and fire dancing. The only time I saw an attempt at that, a friend’s son had a go and singed his own hair. Great fun. I love the Lake District too. There’s nothing so green.
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Glad you’re enjoying the tour. There’s much more to come! 🙂
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Yes, it’s certainly dreamy there in Grasmere. I’ll add that to the list of places I’d like to visit. 🙂
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It’s a very inspiring location! 🙂
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I have travelled through the English lake district but was swept off my feet by the sheer beauty of the Scottish lakes. Maybe due to the grandeur of the surroundings.
Shakti
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After the Lake District we headed into the Scottish region where I saw some really beautiful lakes. Unfortunately, none of my pictures turned out that great. 🙂
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“interesting phenomenon known as drystone walls”
It’s strange to hear that something that I took for granted growing up in Yorkshire referred to as an ‘interesting phenomenon’! To me, drystone walls are how all field walls should look! I couldn’t really imagine a better way to do it! lol!
Great post, Great pictures, Great place! x
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When people are fascinated by barbed wire (we have a lot of it in Arizona!), I have a very similar reaction! 😉
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I used to live near there. It is stunning. I reawakened to writing around there too. Thanks bringing back memories.
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There must be something in the air that inspires writers to pick up a pen. 🙂
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These photos make you just want to stop and close your eyes and breathe deeply – no matter where you are. But today, we’re in Grasmere and happy for it!
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I can smell that fresh air right now. 🙂
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This is near Windermere, right? That is where I ate the yummy fish and chips! I often look for Real Estate available in that area. Loved it!! It looks like, from the pictures, Grasmere would be the same type of village. This is so cool! I love this blog!!! 🙂
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Yes, it is by Windermere. 🙂 It seems the Lake District is just full of cozy little villages. I love it.
Thanks for stopping by and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog! 🙂
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Makes me wish we were still going to England this summer…
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Awww, what happened??
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We decided to wait until we know what Deacon’s income is going to look like… it sucks being an adult! 🙂
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There is some good fresh air in that part of the country. I think I have a shot of the same sheep in the field from a few years back!
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LOl! Those sheep probably love all the attention! 🙂
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I so long to see green like those fields! There’s still snow in our yard and snow mould on the grass. No green to be seen, yet. 😦
Your photos, at least, give me hope that we will see that green soon, although I think I’d rather go to Britain to see it – and the sheep. 🙂
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Green in Britain is different from green anywhere else and it’s definitely worth seeing it in person. 🙂
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