Dove Cottage

Located on the outskirts of Grasmere and best known as the house where the poetic genius once lived, Dove cottage is also a 17th century vintage house. Constructed with stone, with a slate roof and lime washed walls, the most important inhabitants of this house were William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth who stayed here from December 1799 to May 1808. Some of Wordsworth's most renowned pieces of poetry including ‘Ode to Duty’, ‘My Heart Leaps Up’ and ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ were inspired and created here. Dorothy's famous ‘Grasmere journal’ was also penned here.

One of the most visited spots in Lake District, this heritage house gives you a chance to step back in time and witness the dark oak panels and slate floors along with traditional fire places. Wordsworth and his sister adored the garden in particular and planted several wild flowers and a variety of vegetables like beans and peas. The house as well as the garden has been preserved at its best and little has changed since the times Wordsworth lived here. The gardens still retains its ‘semi wild’ look with flowers like native English primrose, honey suckle growing in abundance coupled with ivy and ferns growing on the walls and crevices on the surface. The Wordsworth museum adjacent to the house is a must visit and is a treasure house of several of Wordsworth's poems, journals and literary works including handwritten notes.