Celebrating 250 Years of William Wordsworth April 2020 is when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of the world’s most celebrated poets, William Wordsworth. But what do we really know about him?
Glencoyne - Ullswater
William, born 07 April 1770, never lost his boyhood pleasure in observing nature. His Cockermouth childhood home, Wordsworth House and Garden, is hosting an exciting year of special events around an anniversary exhibition called, ‘The Child is Father of the Man’. Here you’re invited to discover how William, the famous poet, was shaped by his wild, outdoor upbringing. If you’re staying in the north Lake District, put your muddy boots on and observe for yourself the quiet countryside that William explored almost daily as a boy. An 8-mile National Trust trail can be picked up from the museum and gives you a flavour of the countryside that shaped William as a boy. He was considered a ‘wild’ boy and indeed swam naked in the Cocker stream that
runs into the River Derwent. The anniversary exhibition will be open daily except for Friday, from 14 March - 8 November 2020. Whilst in the North Lakes this spring, let the swathes of yellow daffodils “dancing in the breeze”, move you as they did William and his sister, Dorothy, as they chanced upon a “crowd” of them at Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater, on 15 April 1802. Wordsworth also wrote three poems inspired by the nearby Aira Force on Ullswater, which is set amongst ancient woodland and is the most popular fall walk in the Lake District. Let yourself be carried away with the raw beauty of the north Lake District landscape.
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