William Wordsworth: Morning Half Day Tour with an Expert Guide
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 40 minutes
Mobile ticket
This tour takes you to:
• Grasmere Village where William Wordsworth lived.
• Church Stile the former inn where William Wordsworth, his brother John and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge stayed for several days during their Lake District tour in 1797.
• Grasmere Gingerbread Shop where Sarah Nelson invented the world famous "Grasmere Gingerbread" in 1854.
• The Wordsworth family graves.
• St Oswald's Church where the Wordsworth family worshipped.
• Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived from 1799 to 1808.
• Views of Grasmere, the beautiful lake the Wordsworths knew so well.
• Rydal Mount William Wordsworth's best loved family home from 1813 to his death in 1850.
• Rydal Hall Gardens where Wordsworth admired the waterfall from the "grot" viewing house.
• Rydal Church built on the site chosen by William Wordsworth which also inspired two of his poems.
• Dora's Field bought by William Wordsworth in 1826.
• Views of Rydal Water, one of the smaller lakes.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The English Lake District weather can change quickly, even in the summer months. Please bring a waterproof coat with a hood in case of rain or windy weather
As there is a little walking involved on the tour, some uphill and on uneven or wet terrain, please wear suitable, comfortable shoes
No Children under the age of 7
Children must be accompanied by an adult
All passengers, including children of any age, must have a seat purchased for them
We will collect you from the departure point linked to your chosen option. Please do not change to a different departure point without informing us in advance as we don't automatically go to every departure point. If we don't know you have changed your departure point we may not pick you up for the tour!
What To Expect
St Oswald's Church
Our tour starts with a drive to Grasmere Village. Here you will see St Oswald's Church and the Wordsworth family graves which are one of the most visited places in the Lake District. Grasmere is also the name of a lake just outside the village itself. 'The loveliest spot that man hath ever found' is how Wordsworth described this most beautiful area of the Lake District. The small island in the middle of the lake was a favourite place which he often visited while he was living at Dove Cottage.
Allan Bank
Wordsworth's family quickly expanded, with the arrival of three children in four years, and so they left Dove Cottage in 1808 to seek larger lodgings at Allan Bank on a hill overlooking the village. We will get to see this from the outside.
Options
Bowness Departure 9:08am
Starting point: Bowness-on-Windermere, Windermere LA23, UK
Windermere Departure 9:00am
Starting point: Windermere LA23, UK
Ambleside Departure 9:20am
Starting point: Ambleside LA22, UK
What‘s Included
Relaxed and friendly small-group tour of no more than 7 guests
Comfortable minivans with air-conditioning, WiFi and charging points for most mobile devices
Regular photo / comfort stops
Entry into Dove Cottage is included in the price
Professional Guides share their expertise of all the fascinating facts and stories in English
Departure and return to convenient, centrally located meeting points
Food and drinks
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
11 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
WW for the win
Meriah D,Jun 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Jillian was an expert historian, full of stories about William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. It was a fun tour.
False advertising.
H8533UDjacquelinet,Aug 18, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00This "expert tour" is false advertising. The "tour-guides" were pleasant and obliging but entirely lacked any significant knowledge (let alone "expert commentary and analysis" as advertised) - certainly no more than can be acquired by 5 minutes on wikipedia and a trip to the little Wordsworth museum and local signage. The tour also didn't cover the advertised sites. This was to have been the highlight of our holiday in England; it was instead a shocking waste of money and time and a mockery of the term "expert". Other positive reviews can only have been by people who know nothing of Wordsworth/Romantics and didnt have a car to get to the location. It should have been advertised as "a friendly superficial chat and mini-van access to Rydalmere and sites readily accessible by the public". My father and I know Wordsworth's work and life well and were looking forward to this tour as a highlight and culmination of our many tours in England and Spain these last 3 weeks. We invested $AU695 for the 4 family members but learnt absolutely nothing and didnt see much of what was advertised. We should be refunded in full. We'd checked out of our hotel 4 hours early and yet couldn't all participate due to the poor organisation by the company. 30minutes beforehand we phoned to advise that we'd been held up and would be arriving 4 minutes late. On the phone we were told that there would be no parking without an app that is not accessible to non-British residents. This held us all up substantially and should have been clearly stated on the tour information so that we could have cancelled. Why was this railway station chosen as the pick-up point if customers cannot park there? And why is this not advised beforehand? Not being able to park there meant that only 2 of our party to joined the van while we drove behind. My father who went in the van was to have informed us of their ‘expert commentary’ but even my mother who knows little about the topic said she’d learnt nothing worthwhile to tell us; that they’d spent as much time discussing where the customers were from as they did providing any depth of insight into the region or the Romantics. Mostly what was mentioned (several times) was that the area “hadn’t changed much since Wordsworth’s time”, as if that wasn’t already apparent. They also mentioned the size of Lake Windemere and 2 smaller lakes where he’d fished for pyke. The ‘tour’ parked and ended at Rydalmere. With no commentary of any value having been provided on their drive there, why didn’t the tour start at Rydalmere? We saw the graveyard and heard a brief note on 3 family (and a close family friend) buried there; an explanation of why the Daffodil Garden wasn’t the famous ‘daffodil field’; and a note that his sister had influenced and contributed to his work. The church we’d been looking forward to, was closed. Where was the 2nd church mentioned on the itinerary and all of the other sites listed? Then we were handed over to the museum staff and shown an 8 minute video providing no real insight. Then we were left alone to look at Dove Cottage and garden – at least a real location of interest but took only 15minutes to see and was open to the public and with no additional guidance by “our guides”? Then we were given 45 minutes to look around the little museum, gift shop and café… Really? This was all a shocking disappointment and compete waste of money. We could easily and more conveniently travelled to Rydalmere/Dove cottage ourselves and read the signage and a pamphlet. It should have been stated that this tour is design for those that don’t have a car, know nothing and are not interested in learning about his work but just want to see a couple of sites, that some of the key sites wont be open, and that it can all be accessed without the tour. As an expert tour this is a sham. Its definitely worth a visit to Dove Cottage. Do this on your own. Allow 30mins at best.
It was a splendid time today! Thank you 🧡
Mobile645047,Aug 7, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Gillian and Sandra were excellent on our tour today. They were both passionate, knowledgeable and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed our morning and felt inspired as we visited all of the major Wordsworth sites. I would definitely recommend English Lake Tours if you are in the area.
Everything about this...
BAKHTAVAR M,May 7, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Everything about this particular trip was lovely. The tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable.
Wordsworth tour
RA H,Sep 1, 2022
- Review from Viator
5.00The Wordsworth museum plus being able to actually go into his homes was amazing. Thank you English Lake Tours.
Wonderful Wordsworth tour and guides
maryeb 74,Aug 30, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00One of the best parts of our tour was not necessarily the tour itself (which really was fantastic!) was that these two old friends really played off each other so well while Gill was giving us historical, interesting bits of information. They've known each other for many, many years and the sweet friendship is so evident between them. The tour was so lovely - lots of great info, explained in a thoughtful, unassuming way. I had studied Wordsworth in the Lake District 27 years ago through a study abroad, so our guide was excited for me to rediscover and remember little "spots of time"- which I did! Being somewhat introverted, my partner and I so appreciated being able to go at a somewhat slow pace and ask questions as we had them, instead of getting too much info all at once. Highly recommend!
Nice garden
Kevin P,Jul 15, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went there today. Love the garden.and house. Nice to learn about his life. And see were he lived . Like the house. The garden was my favourite as I am a gardener.
Such an enjoyable tour!
Jumbo-7,Oct 18, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were so impressed by the depth of knowledge of our guide (Tim). He was obviously interested in the topic and had spent much time in research. We fitted in a great deal in half a day, but it did not feel rushed. Even if one knows very little about Wordsworth and his fellow poets, one could not fail to enjoy this tour in one of England's most beautiful tourist areas.
William Wordsworth
natalielockett,Feb 25, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00So interesting. and who wouldn`t want to look at where Willam Wordsworth lived and worked some of the time. And how he had so many Poets stay with him, the history, the Poetry. Windermere, a lovely area, The whole Lake District amazing, and would love to visit again. .
Wordsworth worth visiting
Iaen S,Oct 27, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is an enchanting place to visit even if you are not necessarily interested in Wordsworth. It is one of those places which captures the imagination and draws you into the life and history of the place. Inside the house is fascinating but a walk around the gardens is just sublime. I particularly enjoyed the small walled garden with the greenhouse in it. My rose tinted ideal of what a garden should be and feel like. The whole place still has that lived at home feel.
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Operated by English Lakes Tours