Grasmere - Painters & Poets Village

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Treasure Hunt around Grasmere's Painters & Poets village, with Explorers helping the Poetic Intrepid Explorer Society unravel Luvva Sonnet's rhymes, recover the long lost manuscript of legendary Lakeland poet Milliard Worthwows, and wow the world with Worthwows' writings.

The quest covers approximately 2 miles and should take around 2+ hours to complete. You'll start near the exit to Stock Lane car and coach park, explore the village, follow footpaths and an accessible riverside path, investigate the centre of Grasmere, pass St Oswald's church and the Daffodil Garden, then return through the village to the starting car park.

This Trail is wheelchair and pushchair accessible. The route around the village is flat and level, including footpaths and an accessible riverside path. There are short sections on quiet lanes with no pavement, and one section involves a narrow country footpath, but an alternative route is given for pushchair and wheelchair users.

Take care crossing roads and around the bridge sections on the route, and keep Mini Explorers close on the quiet lanes where there is no pavement.

Getting There

By car: Start your quest near the exit to Stock Lane car and coach park (LA22 9SL). PIES recommend leaving your quest-mobile at Stock Lane car and coach park (LA22 9SL), which is on the right hand side before entering the village if you follow signs to the coach park from the A591.

By public transport: Make your way to the start point near the exit to Stock Lane car and coach park (LA22 9SL), then gather your Explorer team and begin the hunt through Grasmere village.

Need the Loo?

There are public toilets in the car park at the start, and you'll pass them again after Clue 12. There are also village centre toilets between Clues 05 and 06, next to the grassy area opposite.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Explorers are welcome to join the adventure. 🐾

The route is dog friendly and includes village footpaths, an accessible riverside path, bridge sections, quiet lanes with no pavement and a narrow country footpath section. Keep canine companions close around roads, crossings and the lanes, and be ready to use the alternative route if the narrow footpath does not suit your squad.

Food & Drink Stops

Recovering lost Lakeland poetry is hungry work. There are chances to stock up on or stop for refreshments during the first or final sections of the route.

A good range of cafes and pubs can be found in the centre of the village, shortly after the start and again at the end of the Trail.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Allan Bank

An optional scenic detour of 0.5 mile leads to Allan Bank. William Wordsworth condemned Allan Bank as an eyesore when it was built, then moved in with his family in 1808. It was also home to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and National Trust founder Hardwicke Rawnsley. After a huge fire in 2011, it was opened to the public and is being restored over time.

Dove Cottage

Dove Cottage is only 150 metres from the route. It began as a coaching inn called the 'Dove and Olive Bough' in the start of the 17th century. William and his sister Dorothy lived there from 1799 to 1808, and William wrote most of his best loved work there. After he married Mary in 1802 and they had 3 children in 4 years, the cottage soon became far too cramped.

St Oswald's church

St Oswald's church dates from the 1300s and is dedicated to the 7th century king of Northumbria who preached here in AD640. The three gates to the churchyard are for each part of the Parish, and the churchyard also has yew trees, which are thought to represent everlasting life and are often found in churchyards.

Daffodil Garden

After the churchyard gate, the route enters the Daffodil Garden. It's a fitting poetic pause for Explorers in Grasmere, giving your team a gentler garden moment before the final stretch of the quest.

Grasmere Lake

Grasmere Lake is 500 metres from the route and can be reached via Red Bank Road opposite St Oswalds Church and next to Grasmere Garden Village. Its island was bequeathed to the National Trust in 2017, which matters because its sale in 1893 helped the National Trust be founded in the first place.