Far from the Madding Crowd
The Romantic poets first championed the wide-open spaces of Britain’s Lake District and called for its preservation in the late 18th century. With the popularity of Grand Tours to continental Europe on the wane and city life increasingly uncomfortable, they eulogised wild landscapes, embracing the natural world to restore health. William Wordsworth, the poster boy for the nature-inspired poetry movement, led the lyrical charge, referring to the Lake District as “…a sort of national property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy”.
It wasn’t until 1951, however, that the Lake District was formally designated as a national park, becoming the UK’s second after the Peak District. It has subsequently evolved into a major destination for visitors from around the world, enticed by its landscape and literary connections to not only Wordsworth and co., but also 20th-century talents such as the Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix author Arthur Ransome.
