THE spring is an ideal time to enjoy a stroll in the Lake District because places like Grasmere become saturated with visitors during the summer.

This gentle stroll around Grasmere combines glorious scenery with towering hills above and gentle lakeside sections through trees and open clearings. Here too is a splendid old church alongside a crystal clear river and the last resting place of William Wordsworth.

Refreshments There are plenty of places to eat in Grasmere and the Rowan Tree (015394-35528) overlooks the river and there is an open space outside.

How to get there: Follow the A591 and turn off on the B5287. Pass through the village ignoring the car park on the right. Cross over the bridge and see the church and river on the right. In a few yards turn left and after about 300 yards turn left to the information centre and the pay and display car park.

Walk: 1 From the car park and information centre turn right and then at the church turn right and explore St Oswalds. Legend has it that the saint preached in this spot as early as the 7th Century but the present church dates from the mid-13th Century but with additions in the 16th Century. This was the parish church of the Wordsworths. In 2005 the Wordsworth gravestones were made the focus of a memorial garden close to the River Rothay. On the opposite bank of the river is the tea garden of the Rowan Tree.

2 Cross the bridge over the river and follow the minor road through the village to the A591. Cross the road and turn right.

3 In around 50 yards turn left and pass Dove Cottage on the left. Developments during 2004 and 2005 have increased the area devoted to the Wordsworth and there is now a study area in addition to an extensive library. Dove Cottage was once an inn called the Dove and Olive Branch and set alongside the old Turnpike Road, commuting Ambleside and Keswick. The Wordsworths lived here from 1799 to 1808 and they landscaped the garden.

4 Follow the old Turnpike Road to Howtop Farm. Turn left up a tarmacked road indicating Rydal. Continue to climb steeply but do not follow the sign for Alcock Tarn. Pass the tiny White Moss tarn on the left and approach a row of cottages.

5 Turn right and descend the obvious but very steep footpath. Pass along White Moss Common and close to White Moss Tarn on the right. This is an area rich in natural history and buzzards are often to be seen soaring over the common on which there once a number of disused quarries. In the summer this is the breeding habitat of the wheatear.

6 When the A591 is reached cross the road and turn left. In less than 100 yards turn right and descend to a footbridge. Cross the River Rothay and take the middle of three footpaths. This passes through an area of mixed woodland full of flora and fauna.

7 Ascend this path and in around half a mile pass through a gale and turn right. Continue along an obvious path which passes through another area of woodland to emerge on to the right hand bank of Grasmere. This is the place to enjoy the birdlife, which in winter is prolific but is interesting at all times.Grasmere is a shallow and very fertile lake and takes its name from Gris-Mere. Gris meant a pig and in Saxon times wild boar frequented the woodland. Grasmere is around one mile long, and half a mile wide and has a maximum depth of only 75 feet.

8 After three quarters of a mile along the lakeshore turn through a kissing gate on to the minor Red Bank Road. Turn right and pass St Oswald’s Guest House complex on the left. Return to the car park and information centre.

Distance: 3.5 miles. Time: 2.5 hours. Map reference: Explorer OL7 334 074.

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.