If you enjoy exploring villages, you’re sure to want to visit Grasmere during your time in the Lake District. Completely surrounded by colourful and atmospheric fellsides, it’s a great base from which to begin one of several walks, or the ideal place to explore as part of a slightly less energetic day out – and that just happens to be my focus here!
For this post I thought I’d let the pictures do the talking, and add a few interesting facts about places of interest to the captions. Here are just a few of the delights you’ll come across during your visit here:
From Grasmere Garden Village looking towards St Oswald’s Church. If you visit in the autumn, you’ll be treated to gorgeous colours such as these!Grasmere Garden Village, a small garden centre selling gifts and clothing, which also has a café with outdoor seating
The stag carving, created in 2017 outside Grasmere Garden Village
Outside at Grasmere Garden Village – you can just see the Potting Shed Café terrace at the back of the photoThis little piggy… at Grasmere Garden VillageThe National Trust Gift Shop – according to a leaflet belonging to the Grasmere Culture Trail, the Church Stile building dates back to the 17th century, and in the 18th century was also an inn
St Oswald’s Church, where restoration on the tower was completed in 2017
St Oswald’s Church is also where visitors particularly interested in Wordsworth’s connections will find the Wordsworth family graves
A bit of history about the church…
The Wordsworth Daffodil Garden, a wild daffodil garden created by the church as a tribute to William Wordsworth, where members of the public were invited to sponsor an engraved stone or wild daffodils.
The idea was to create a special place for the public and to raise funds to support the ongoing maintenance of the church building.
And now for a wander around the rest of the village, where you’re never far away from the dramatic view of a steep fellside…And even the roads in and out are picturesque…
Back into the centre of the village, and if you’re hungry, there are plenty of places to stop. Mathilde’s Café, belonging to the Heaton Cooper Gallery, and Emma’s Dell, are two of the newest eateries to the villageThe Heaton Cooper Gallery, with art for sale by the Heaton Cooper familyInside the Heaton Cooper Gallery
Again, in the centre of the village
And a few more shops…I love this pretty little ‘arcade-style’ shop at one end of the villageA must-visit for Herdy fans…And last but not least… the home of the famous Grasmere Gingerbread. According to a sign on the side of the building, this was the village school for over 220 years from 1630, and William Wordsworth, his wife, and his sister Dorothy, all taught here during the 19th century. Grasmere Gingerbread was invented in 1854 by Sarah Nelson, and is still made here today to her secret recipe.The green in the centre of the village
So that’s a brief tour of Grasmere and some of the things to see and do in the village itself. In addition, you may also like to visit the following popular attractions in Grasmere, and a lovely walk I featured on the blog last spring:
The National Trust’s Allan Bank, which is a five-minute walk from the centre of town and was once home to one of the co-founders of the National Trust, as well as briefly home to the poet William Wordsworth.
Dove Cottage, possibly one of the most famous places in the Lake District, and formerly home to William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. You’ll find it on the outskirts of the village next to the roundabout on the A591.
Loughrigg Terrace, an outstanding viewpoint overlooking Grasmere (lake), which can be reached on a walk from Grasmere or nearby White Moss – especially good in the springtime when the bluebells create a striking display.
If you’ve already visited Grasmere for yourself, and have some advice on how best to enjoy a day out in this atmospheric village, please let other readers of the blog know by leaving a comment below – it’s always great to hear about your experiences!
