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Grasmere Village

Grasmere has been enchanting visitors for centuries, and it is easy to see why.

There is most definitely something very romantic about Grasmere village. In fact we stayed here on our honeymoon over twenty years ago, it was January and we practically had the place to ourselves.



However a word of caution! If you arrive in Grasmere in the depths of the 'peak holiday season' you are likely to come away with an impression of swarming pavements and tourist buses rather than the tranquil ambience that inspired Wordsworth.

Don't despair think of it this way: what's great about day-trippers is that is they tend to stick to the pavements that and the fact that the locals of Cumbria do rely on tourists to make a living. This site is about finding the spots that the shoppers and gift-shop tourists miss. Discovering the real Cumbria.

How to survive Peak Season in Grasmere

If you are tied to school holidays and want to visit Grasmere then the biggest hurdle you have to jump is the queue of traffic which backs seemingly all the way to Ambleside. One way to deal with this is to book accommodation in Grasmere itself. Meaning that you only have to queue once at the beginning of your holiday and once at the end. Don't feel limited by this option. See it as your way to have a relaxing and eco-friendly holiday. Use Grasmere as a base for walking and enjoy the village before the day-trippers arrive and after they have gone for the day.

Rowing on Grasmere

If you have kids or just love ice cream and boats then wander past the garden centre, in the centre of the village, taking the road to the left. There you will find a small tea garden/ice cream shop with clinker-built boats for hire.

Grasmere Church

Grasmere Church is perhaps most famous for being the final resting place of Wordsworth. St. Oswald's holds a traditional 'Rushbearing Ceremony' here each year. This Grasmere rushbearing custom originally started before the laying of flagstones in the church. Now the ceremony takes the place of a village parade with local children carrying rushes through the village before they are strewn on the church floor. Traditionally each rush bearer receives a piece of gingerbread.