Ode to a new walking trail

Rebecca Jackson follows a 21-mile hiking route in the Lake District in search of William Wordsworth's Romantic legacy

- Rebecca Jackson

The rain rolled over me like a wave as the wind unleashed another whip. Elba, my labrador, peered down at me - ears flapping, tongue lolling - before loping out of view. Looking around for the first time in a while, I noticed vibrant green ferns carpeting the valley, the flow only interrupted by Greenhead Gill’s snaking trail. Surrendering to the elements, I opened both arms wide to catch thick droplets of rain on my face.

I was in the Lake District to walk the 21-mile Wordsworth Way, named after the Romantic poet who made the national park his home. There's a more leisurely 14-mile route, but I attempted the longer stretch, using public transport links at either end. Making the Wordsworth Way, which opened in April, accessible by public transport was a top priority for one of the groups behind the project, Friends of the Ullswater Way.

It's an easy hop on the hourly 508 Stagecoach service from Penrith train station to the route's start in Glenridding.

Despite the drizzly and windswept day, I headed to the upper deck of the open-top bus, and I was not alone. As we skimmed the shores of Ullswater, walkers in the surrounding seats pored over maps and planned their routes.

The first stretch of the walk, from Ullswater to Grasmere, is eight miles long. It's the site of Wordsworth's early life and natural education, crossing energetic fell paths, ancient woods and rolling farmland.

From Glenridding pier, on Ullswater, I gazed over glassy water to the stony faces of the fells, mist curling around their peaks. Wordsworth was deeply affected by the looming mountains here. Looking at the same view, I felt awestruck in the presence of the same giants.