Grasmere, England
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
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The small village of Grasmere lies near the centre of the English Lake District and is well known for its scenic surroundings, its associations with Wordsworth and its famous gingerbread.
Grasmere Village
The village itself sits on the river [something] a half mile or so from the lake. Today it's strongly tourist-oriented with many gift shops. There are a few good outdoor equipment shops here also, and a disproportionate number of small art galleries (walkers are advised not to enter these wearing large rucksacks).
Grasmere suffers from a pronounced lack of decent pubs. There are many tea shops and hotels but surprisingly few public bars for a village of this size, a fact which has not escaped the dozens of thirsty walkers who end up in Grasmere each day.
Grasmere churchyard, in the centre of the village, is the resting place of the romantic poet Wordsworth and his family. Wordsworth lived for much of his life in Dove Cottage, in Town End just up the road from Grasmere, which is now a museum devoted to the man and his writings.
If you're very lucky you may catch a glimpse of a red squirrel in the churchyard. The Lake District is now one of the only places in Britain with a thriving population of reds, but they are dying out, and the sight of them is becoming rarer - they're a lot more timid than the usual greys. Note for those who intend to feed the squirrels: the red squirrels of Grasmere are extremely sick of gingerbread...
Grasmere Gingerbread
The best gingerbread in the world is produced in one tiny shop in Grasmere village to a recipe dating back to 1855. All visitors to Grasmere simply must visit Sarah Nelson's gingerbread shop in the old school house next to the churchyard (it's a small place, so prepare for queues - although the smell of the freshly baked gingerbread is good compensation while waiting) and sample some of this world-famous confection.Unlike normal cake-like gingerbread, the Grasmere variety is more like shortbread - quite crumbly and can be messy to eat. The ginger and spices do burn the back of the throat making consumption in large quantities difficult.
The gingerbread shop also sells a killer Cumberland rum butter that goes really nicely on scones.
