Walk with Wordsworth : No, not William, the famous poet, but his less famous sister, Dorothy Wordsworth. A writer in her own right, Dorothy kept evocative journals of the walks she took in England’s beautiful Lake District. Today’s traveler can travel in her footsteps.

It is no accident that the Lake District in northwest England has been called the most beautiful corner of the country. Located in the county of Cumbria, some 250 miles north of London, virtually the entire area (about 35 miles square) has been set aside as a national park. It is known for England’s 19th-Century “Lake School” poets, the most famous of whom is William Wordsworth. And it is a walker’s paradise.

On previous trips, often with students from Pasadena City College’s Semester Abroad program, I have walked the Lake District trails with a volume of William Wordsworth’s poetry or his descriptive “Guide to the Lakes,” a sort of tourist guidebook of its day. But on a trip last April I discovered his sister Dorothy’s delightful “Grasmere Journals.” From now on, she will be my guide for walks in that scenic wonderland.

Why Dorothy Wordsworth and not her famous brother? Simply because she seems closer to, and more intimate with, her surroundings. She was unpretentious, and not afraid to react with passion and a deep love for the fells (barren hills), becks (streams), crags, tarns (small mountain lakes), meres (larger lakes), flowers, woods and the countless other natural features of that pastoral landscape. Grasmere was the tiny village by the lake where she and her brother lived in a simple little country house known as Dove Cottage from 1799 until 1808. This is where William composed much of his best-known Romantic poetry.

At Dove Cottage, which is furnished much as it was in their day and is open to visitors, Dorothy and William (and, later, his wife Mary) practiced “plain living and high thinking.” Dorothy cooked, baked, sewed, washed and ironed. She had problems with her teeth and suffered from severe headaches. She also wrote out poetry for her brother and spent many hours reading with him. She devoted her life to his talent, but she had great talent as well. She never married and remained with her brother until his death in 1850. (Dorothy died five years later.) As William said, “She gave me eyes, she gave me ears.”

Dorothy Wordsworth’s “Grasmere Journals” cover a period from 1800 to 1803, but they are as real to today’s visitor as they were in the days they were written. Her journals contain poetic images that William used in some of his poetry. Perhaps his most popular poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” owes much of its descriptive beauty to Dorothy’s observations. While on an outing to a nearby lake called Ullswater, Dorothy came upon some daffodils along the lake shore. She wrote in her journal:

“ I never saw daffodils so beautiful . . . some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness & the rest tossed & reeled & danced & seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake, they looked so gay ever glancing ever changing. Her brother borrows her imagery to start one of his most famous poems:

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils ; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. “

It’s wonderful to have both versions, the one in diary form, the other in verse. But it is Dorothy’s diary that gives the personal touch. Here is a woman, devoted to her brother’s talents, giving him and us a microscopic view of nature, of the beauties of a world she deeply loved.

In her journals, she can be both matter of fact and poetic: “ It rained very hard, Rydale (the lake now called Rydal Water) was extremely wild and we had a fine walk. “ Or: “ A fine morning...in the afternoon flashing light from beams of the sun as it was ruffled by the wind. “ Or: “ There was a most lovely combination at the head of the vale--of the yellow autumnal hills wrapped in sunshine and overhung with partial mists, the green and yellow trees and the snow-topped mountains. It was a most heavenly morning. “

All of the scenes that Dorothy Wordsworth described so vividly nearly 200 years ago can be shared today by the visitor who enjoys country walks. Views abound of romantic, sweeping valleys dotted with sheep, charming stone cottages, lakes, streams and waterfalls in a valley protected by high rolling hills and craggy mountains. There are more shades of green in the Lake District than one can imagine.

And there are hundreds of walks, from very easy lakeside strolls to strenuous rock and crag climbing. To see the daffodils in bloom, one must get to the Lake District by early spring; by early April they usually reach full bloom. But I have visited the area in all seasons, and each has its special beauty. One word of warning: In June, July and August, the lakes are crowded with tourists--particularly the British, but relatively few Americans--and good accommodations can be hard to find.

The weather can be unpredictable in northern England, so it’s advisable to take some very effective rain gear, as well as a good pair of walking shoes and a copy of Dorothy’s journal (recently reissued by Oxford University Press and available at many bookstores in England) on three of her favorite walks in the Lake District.

I have selected three walks from her journals which I feel best represent her. Since she walked virtually every day, rain or shine, as long as she was not too ill, I had to do some combining of her favorite pathways. Often she took these walks alone or in company, most often with her brother, day or night, and in all seasons. She wore long skirts over petticoats, tight-fitting shoes, a sun bonnet, and, depending upon the season and the cold, a shawl or a sturdier, water-repellent wrap or coat.

Dorothy Wordsworth Walk No. 1

“ From Dove Cottage, Town End Grasmere, to Rydal Mount and return. Distance: About 5 miles depending upon side excursions and choice of return route. Difficulty: Easy; some road, wide footpaths, fairly level walking. For some marvelous insights into the lives led by Dorothy and William, I recommend visiting Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, both in Town End Grasmere , the day before you take this walk. “

Start at Dove Cottage and follow the narrow, paved road up a slight hill to the old Rydal-Grasmere Road. You will first come to John’s Grove, named for William’s brother, and a lovely grove of beech trees. Walk through the grove and follow the upper road to White Moss Tarn. Some people speculate that this is where William and Dorothy met the leech-gatherer, a character who shows up in William’s poem “Resolution and Independence.”

Continue along the road until it joins the footpath to Rydal. This section was one of Dorothy’s favorite places to walk and to sit, and you can see why. You are under Nab Scar and should have a wonderful view of both Grasmere and Rydal Water. Dorothy writes: “ Then we went to look at Rydale (Rydal Water) , walked a little in the fir grove (John’s Wood), went again to the top of the hill and came home--a mild, sweet night. “ Continue along this path with Rydal Water down below you on your right and Nab Scar, a craggy knoll towering above you on your left. The path leads directly to Rydal Mount, the home the Wordsworths moved to in May, 1813.

Rydal Mount is now a Wordsworth museum, and there is a fine small bookstore where one can buy tickets to visit the house and the gardens. After visiting Rydal Mount, you can return to Town End via the same path. The views are very different going in this direction; I found that the lakes are constantly in view on the return, as is the River Rothay that connects Grasmere and Rydal Water. As you get closer to Dove Cottage, you will be near the spot that Dorothy refers to in her journal as her favorite above John’s Wood, a place where she would “go backwards and forwards . . . all colors melting into each other.”

If you prefer a different (though longer) route back to Town End, walk down the road passing Rydal Hall, formerly the home of Lady Fleming, who owned Rydal Mount. You then pass Rydal Chapel, a small church that Lady Fleming had built in 1824 and where the Wordsworths attended services. Cross the main Ambleside-Grasmere Road, go through the stile and cross the River Rothay over a footbridge. You will find yourself in a beautiful wood along a fast-moving river, and soon will emerge on the west side of Rydal Water on a path called Loughrigg Terrace. Dorothy loved this path. She writes: “ I lay upon the steep of Loughrigg my heart dissolved in what I saw when I was not startled but recalled from my reverie by a noise as of a child paddling without shoes, I looked up and saw a lamb close to me. It approached nearer and nearer as if to examine me and stood a long time. I did not move. At last it ran past me and went bleating along the path seeming to be seeking its mother. “

The views from Loughrigg Terrace are some of the best in the entire Lake District. You see both lakes, Rydal and Grasmere, as well as Nab Scar, Loughrigg Fell and Nab Cottage where poet Hartley Coleridge, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s son, lived. There are now benches along Loughrigg Terrace where Dorothy once lay on the grass. Between Rydal Water and Grasmere there are woods, the River Rothay and a small park. There is also a footbridge now where Dorothy crossed on the stepping stones. She writes: “ We came home over the stepping stones the lake was foamy with white waves. I saw a solitary butter flower in the wood. I found it not easy to get over the stepping stones. “ It is still the same today. If the water is high, you too may find it not easy to get over the stepping stones. Cross the highway at White Moss and rejoin the path to Dove Cottage.

Dorothy Wordsworth Walk No. 2

“ Grasmere to Easedale Tarn via Sour Milk Gill. Difficulty: Moderate, but can be very messy after heavy rains, especially climbing up the path along the gill (narrow stream). Distance: 5 miles. “

From Grasmere village, walk along the Easedale Road for one-half mile. You will pass Goody Bridge Farm and will see a signposted footbridge for Easedale Tarn. Cross the bridge through a small wood to an iron gate. As you go through the gate you come to an open area where you will see sheep grazing, fells and, directly in front of you, a white mass that appears to be spilled milk coagulating on the side of the mountain. That is Sour Milk Gill or what Dorothy called “Churn Milk force” (from the the Norse word for cascade).

Dorothy writes: “ When we (Dorothy and Mary Hutchinson, who later married William Wordsworth) got into Easedale we saw Churn Milk force like a broad stream of snow. At the little footbridge we stopped to look at the company of rivers which came hurrying down the vale this way and that; it was a valley of streams and islands, with that great waterfall at the head . . . “

As you proceed to the falls, you will see a gray stone cottage on your left. This is still known as the Greens’ cottage. In March of 1808, George and Sarah Green walked to Langdale to a farm sale, leaving six children in the cottage. On the way home they apparently became disoriented in a snow storm and perished. At William’s insistence, Dorothy Wordsworth wrote a narrative of the events describing in detail how 11-year-old Jane Green looked after the other children for two days when their parents failed to return, and how a committee of ladies found homes for the orphaned children. The narrative is entitled “The Greens of Grasmere” and was first published by Oxford University Press in 1936.

The path along the falls can be slippery and often water-logged. Small streams also like to adopt the footpath. There are many rocks along the way where a rest stop will be well rewarded by some spectacular views back toward Grasmere and across the fells toward Langdale. Arriving at the top you are greeted by the sight of the delightful, small Easedale Tarn. It is possible to walk around the tarn and enjoy the solitude of the fells. As you look toward Langdale Pikes you get the feeling that you have arrived at the top of the world. It is a wonderful spot for a picnic, or at least a long meditative rest. You can return to Grasmere by coming down the other side of the falls and following the path to a footbridge across Far Easedale Gill. The path passes a farm house and ends at a gate, which lets you pass back onto Easedale Road and return to Grasmere.

Dorothy Wordsworth Walk No. 3

“ Grasmere to Elterwater, to Skelwith Bridge, to Clappersgate and back to Grasmere. Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. Distance: 8 miles, depending upon optional routes; allow a full day. Pub stops along the way. “

Start the walk at the far end of Grasmere at the Information Center and take Red Bank Road as it climbs above and away from the lake. It is a narrow road with some car traffic and many turns, so be careful and walk to the side. The road takes you to Loughrigg Tarn, another small lake in a beautiful setting. Follow the road until it joins an even smaller road which goes down the hill to Elterwater. Dorothy loved Elterwater. She writes: “ When William went fishing in Langdale I sate at the foot of the lake till my head ached with cold. The view exquisitely beautiful . . . The evening grew very pleasant--we sate on the side of the hill looking at Elterwater. “

Elterwater village is at the head of the lake and has a wonderful pub/inn, The Britannia. On a summer evening it is possible to sit outside, surrounded by lovely views, and be entertained by musical programs. If you arrive at midday, the plowman’s lunch is especially good, if filling. It requires a nap on the side of the hill overlooking the lake, a site favored by Dorothy. In the spring you will be surrounded by lambs.

Continue the walk along the path that follows the River Brathay through an open grazing area and into another wood where you will come upon Skelwith Force, a lovely waterfall you can walk to, sit above on a rock and have all other sounds drowned out by the water’s roar. As you follow the path beyond the force, you pass through a wonderful quarry, and a gift shop-restaurant, the Kirkstone Gallery. It specializes in items made from a green slate indigenous to the area. As you leave the quarry, you will see Skelwith Bridge and the Skelwith Bridge Hotel, a 17th-Century inn with a fine restaurant and a pub, The Talbot, which also dates to the 17th Century.

Just beyond the hotel and a phone box is a narrow steep road that goes up to Mill Brow and joins Red Bank Road near Loughrigg Tarn. This is a more direct way to return to Grasmere than following the road to Clappersgate, which is narrow and busy. However, it is worth going to Clappersgate because it leads to a favorite route that Dorothy followed to Grasmere. When you get to Clappersgate, take the Rothay Bridge road that follows the River Rothay under Loughrigg. This is a fairly level route along the river and eventually you will come to another set of stepping stones favored by Dorothy, still very much as they were in 1800. As Dorothy writes: “ Before dinner we set forward to walk intending to return to dinner. But as we had got as far as Rydal, William thought he would go on to Mr. Luff’s. We (Dorothy and Mary) accompanied him under Loughrigg and parted near the stepping stones. It was very cold. Mary and I walked quick home. “

My Lake District visit last April was a richer, more rewarding experience since discovering Dorothy Wordsworth. I saw as she did “Rydale with a sullen face.” I also experienced “the north sky chastened yet rich yellow fading into pale blue & streaked & scattered over with steady islands of purple melting away into shades of pink.” I expect to return again and again with Dorothy as my companion, my poet in prose, to share her views of nature and life and her poetic imagination.

GUIDEBOOK: Walks in England’s Lake District

Getting there: Trains to the Lake District run six times daily from London’s Euston Station to Windermere (changing to a local line at Oxenholme); fare is about $100 round trip. For information, call BritRail at (800) 677-8585. Local buses serve Grasmere, Ambleside and other villages of the area.

Or purchase a rail/drive pass and explore the area by car. There are two superhighways, the M-40 and M-6, that lead from London to the Lake District.

To bypass London, British Air also offers nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Manchester, about 80 miles south of the Lake District; current restricted advance-purchase fare is about $711 round trip.

Where to stay: For a short stay in the Lake District, the Skelwith Bridge Hotel (near Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 9NJ, England; telephone 011-44-53-943-2115, fax 011-44-53-943-4254) is a comfortable 17th-Century inn with modern conveniences, located near all of Dorothy Wordsworth’s walks. Double rooms are about $60 per night weekdays, $70 weekends; rates with three meals included start at about $80.

For longer stays (a week or more), Cottage Life and Heart of the Lakes (Rydal Holme, Rydal, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 9LR, England; tel. 011-44-53-943-2321, fax 011-44-53-943-3251) are agencies that provide self-catering accommodations in well-located, excellently equipped cottages. Send for brochures.

Walking guides: Walks in the Countryside leaflets, prepared and published by the Lake District National Park Information Service, Windermere, Cumbria, are available at local bookstores. Also recommended is the Ordnance Survey Tourist Map 3: Lake District.

For more information: Contact the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York 10176, (800) GO2-BRIT.