An easy walk-and-talk from Ambleside to Grasmere – complete with pony and trap – will mirror William and Dorothy Wordsworth’s arrival at their new home in Grasmere exactly 220 years to the day.
The four-mile walk is free and open to the public.
‘Organised by The Wordsworth Centre at Lancaster University, working in partnership with The Wordsworth Trust, the event entitled ‘Walking Home: A Celebration of Arrival’ will take place on Friday, December 20.
‘Walking Home’ is one of the first events to mark ‘Wordsworth 250’, a year-long celebration of Romantic poet William Wordsworth’s 250th birthday in 2020.
The event is a celebration of William and Dorothy Wordsworth’s 70-mile winter walk from Sockburn, in Yorkshire, to their new home at Dove Cottage, Grasmere, where Wordsworth wrote much of his most famous poetry.
On arrival at Dove Cottage, the poet Professor Paul Farley will read a poem especially commissioned for this occasion.
‘Walking Home’ will set off from St Mary’s Church in Ambleside at 1pm and arrive at Dove Cottage at approximately 3.30.
There will be readings, discussions and creative activities along the way for those participating. These will be led by Professors Simon Bainbridge and Sally Bushell, Dr Becca Hutcheon (Lancaster University) and Dr Louise Ann Wilson (artist and researcher) as well as poet Professor Paul Farley, also from Lancaster University.
Professor Bushell said: “The Wordsworth Centre is delighted to host this event and to try and re-imagine how it must have felt for William and Dorothy to arrive together in their new home. We only hope we don’t get caught in a snowstorm as they did!”
To book your place please go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-home-a-celebration-of-arrival-tickets-75122047065
Other partners involved in ‘Wordsworth 250’ include the National Trust, Rydal Mount, Cumbria Tourism, and the Lake District National Park.
