OUR plans for spring and summer in the Lake District have been put on hold for 12 months as we abide by the lockdown restrictions, however, there are still ways to enjoy the county from the safety of your home, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth.
1. Discover more about Wordsworth’s life with Sir Ian McKellen
This month I was looking forward to seeing the daffodils on the shore of Ullswater which inspires William Wordsworth’s famous poem ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’. However, as we are all staying home to protect lives and our NHS, I am getting my Wordsworth fit thanks to the wonderful BBC and Radio 4.
‘The Prelude’, by William Wordsworth was recorded in Dove Cottage in Grasmere, the poets home before the coronavirus pandemic.
Wordsworth believed that poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech, and in that way it was revolutionary in its time.
Parts of the poem are famous, with lines quoted often, such as the description of the young Wordsworth stealing a boat. Other parts are more introspective.
The young poet leaves Grasmere to go to university in Cambridge and is homesick. Wordsworth grapples with his political feelings – travelling to France at the time of the French Revolution. He enjoys the hustle and bustle of London, and is euphoric when crossing the Alps.
All the time this poem is accessible, bursting with colour and description, full of gripping storytelling.
The Prelude is read by Sir Ian, with specially composed music by John Harle performed by John Harle on saxophone and Neill MacColl on guitar.
You can listen to all five episodes now on the BBC Sounds App or website for free.
2. Take a virtual tour of the Lake District National Park
You don’t have to leave your home to discover the beautiful landscape of the Lake District National Park thanks to the visual tours available online from the Lake District National Park Authority.
Click this link to start your virtual adventure: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/webcams-videos-and-photos/webcams
3. Discover more about Cumbria’s military history and way of life
Discover Carlisle Castle’s History of Military Life museum with That’ll Do. Join them for a virtual tour and see the exhibits inside our iconic Carlisle building.
Join them via this link:
4. Get virtually back on the fells
If you are missing the fells and running in the wilds of Cumbria, Salomon TV has produced a new ‘throwback’ video on YouTube for the lockdown.
Of Fells and Hills w/ Rickey Gates will take you on some great routes in the Lakes.
Take your virtual fell run here:
5. Watch nature from your armchair
Thanks to Cumbria Wildlife Trust you can watch the Osprey live cam streaming from Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve.
This online community of nature lovers welcomes back the Foulshaw ospreys. Blue 35 (female) arrived on 26 March 2020, a few days earlier than expected.
You can watch the Osprey live via this link: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/cams/osprey-cam
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