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A short drive south from Keswick takes us through the very countryside that inspired England's
great Romantic poets. The greatest of those was William Wordsworth who lived
here
in Dove Cottage.
Wordsworth spent his most productive years —1799 to 1808—
in this humble stone house.
This is where he married, had kids, and wrote much of his best poetry.
In these cramped and simple quarters, Woodsworth practiced his philosophy of plain
living and high thinking.
The adjacent museum displays original writings, sketches,
and personal items that give another peek into the life and world of the poet.
His well-stamped passport and his well-worn little suitcase are proof he
packed light and traveled far and wide.
Notebook in hand, he wandered across England and through Europe on what would become the
Romantic grand tour.
Until then, almost nobody climbed a mountain just because it was there—
but Wordsworth did.
He'd wander "lonely as a cloud" through the countryside,
finding inspiration lost in the awe-inspiring immensity of
nature.
If appreciating nature became a religion in 19th century England,
Wordsworth
was its prophet.
With the advent of the industrial age, machines were taming nature and factory
hours were taming free spirits.
The Romantic movement—led by artists and writers like Wordsworth—was a reaction
against this.
Romanticism celebrated nature...making it almost a religion.
People came here as if on a pilgrimage. And, like the poets, after communing with
nature... they'd be inspired and reflect on the meaning of life.