With success, Wordsworth moved into a nicer home. Rydal Mount is more expansive than the humble Dove Cottage, but still evokes the time and creative spirit of the man who lived here for 37 years.

Docent: It’s about the house—

You're welcomed by a docent who gives a short intro.

Docent: Now at the minute you’re in the oldest part of the house and it dates back to 1574. Now that William lived here 37 years. He died upstairs. He’s buried in Grasmere churchyard.

Then you're free to explore. The living room seems designed to incorporate the natural setting, and in the poet’s study upstairs you can imagine the Lakeland bard reflecting and putting pen to paper. Wordsworth himself designed his garden. Romantic English-style gardens maintain a bit of a wild feel. Strolling, you can imagine the poet inspired by the setting: “Oh, happy gardens that did gently steep our spirits carry with them dreams of flowers and wild notes warbled among leafy bowers.”