At the edge of Grasmere in the Lake District sits a tiny white cottage. For eight years, William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, lived in Dove Cottage. We had a guided tour of the house as well as visited the museum dedicated to the poet.

It’s hard to believe as many as nine people called this home at one point during the Wordworths’ stay. He got married to his sister’s best friend, Mary, three of his five children were born here, and then his fellow “Lake poets” Thomas de Quincey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge moved in at various times with some of their kin. The cottage is much the same as the way it was when he moved out in 1808 to larger lodgings in Rydal (just down the road).

Despite being appointed poet laureate, Wordsworth didn’t write a single poem during his tenure.

The museum features exhibits not only about Wordsworth but also on the other Lake poets. Paintings, papers, poems, and more are on display.

And finally, there is a garden behind the modest cottage. We took a tour through it before making our way back to the bed and breakfast for our last night in Windermere.

Next up: We’ll be heading up to Hadrian’s Wall on the morrow. Ta-ta for now!