Windermere Lake & Rydal Mount – A tryst with Wordsworth’s Residence

Jaysree Gupta & Ashish Gupta traveled to England way back in 1988.  They stayed there for more than a month with their relatives. Today after so many years the memory of that trip is still very vivid. They shared those precious moments with Tours & Foods. 

 

 

The mountainous region in North West England is known as The Lake District or Lake Land. It is famous for Windermere Lake, the largest natural lake in England. This lake is long and narrow just like a finger. Lakes having this type of shapes are called ribbon lake.

 

The length of this lake is 10.5 mile, and the breadth is 1 mile. It’s a great place for a summer holiday. The place is surrounded by placid hills. And the lake itself is an excellent place for boating activities. The beauty of this lake changes with the season. Wild daffodils and Angelia in the surroundings make this lake a treat for your eyes.

 

Romans ruled this place for three hundred years.  They had built the Fort of Galava to the northern end of this lake.  This waterway was used for the movement of heavy materials.

The city is busy with its daily chores, shops, pubs and churches. But there is a warmth reserved for the visitors.  Small shops are found on the banks of the river. They sell locally made crafts.

 

We hired a speedboat and ventured into the lake.  The waves greeted us.

After spending an hour on the boat, we went to Ambleside. Ambleside is the residence of famous poet William Wordsworth.

 

The name of the house is Rydal Mount. Bird of Avon lived here from 1813 to 1850. The portraits of family members, personal belongings and the first editions of poet’s work are there in the house. The house now belongs to the decedents of Wordsworth.

 

 

The entire landscape design of the garden, spans 3.5 acre was done by the poet himself. The garden is quite unconventional but creates a harmony with the surroundings.

 

 

The garden is still extremely well maintained. Rare shrubs, lawns, rock pools, fell-side terraces and an ancient mound are found in the garden. Trees like Rhododendron, daffodils & bluebells produce a rare verity of colours and make the garden look spectacular.

 

While Wordsworth used to walk in this garden, the lines of his poem used to take shape in his mind. It feels that Bird of Avon still comes here and take walk regularly in this garden. Truly, this garden is the heart of Lake District.

The Windermere lake flows through Ambleside and Grasmere. Last few years of Wordsworth’s were full of unhappiness. His sister Dorothy suffered from a psychological disease. After the death of his daughter Dora,  Wordsworth was shattered and stopped writing poetry. His misery came to an end at 1850 when he died of Pleurisy.

 

Through the window of his study room one can see the Windermere lake. Poetry flows from any pen in front of this heavenly Windermere Lake, and he was Wordsworth; what else can we expect. For a moment, I traveled back to the time of Bird of Avon.