Wordsworth picnics send hearts racing

"Wordsworth Picnics" are set to become the quintessential English experience of Summer 2008, as one of the most romantically-focused attractions in England offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy an idyllic, al fresco feast in Cumbria’s glorious, natural environment.

Rydal Mount, home to the Romantic poet, William Wordsworth, for 37 years, has created the ultimate picnic on behalf of visitors who wish to enjoy a few hours in what is regarded as the finest example of a Romantic’s garden still in existence today.

Much of the poet’s inspiration was drawn from the landscape around him and he designed the gardens at Rydal Mount, creating a celebration of nature, without the formality of many of the gardens of previous eras.

To enable visitors to enjoy an exploration of the gardens to the full, Rydal Mount, located near Ambleside, has created easy-to-order picnics, comprising excellent local, organic produce. These can be ordered two days prior to a visit, collected during a visit to house and gardens and enjoyed in the lower gardens.

This haven is the perfect location for a picnic, offering enough shade to provide comfort and serenity, as well as an environment in which simple pleasures such as nature trails, hide-and-seek and bird spotting can be enjoyed.

The picnic, packed in a natural hemp bag, comprises sandwiches made with local, fresh-baked bread and filled with choices such as organic cheese, tasty, farm-produced ham, chutneys and salad ingredients. Natural juices and organic cold drinks help wash down organic crisps and home-made cake, whilst the romance can be abetted by the addition of a bottle of wine, at an extra cost.

The picnic, inclusive of a tour of the house, costs £17.50 per person (without wine) and can either be enjoyed on one of the home’s picnic tables, or on a picnic rug in the picnic area.

Picnickers can take things at a leisurely pace, if they wish, taking as long as they want to soak in the romantic atmosphere. Alternatively, they can explore the grounds, perhaps pausing a while by the Poet’s summerhouse, where he would recite his poetry.

Visitors can also revel in the fact that the gardens offer the only view, from a property, of both the largest and smallest lakes in England (Windermere and Rydal Water), or sit and compose their own prose, if inspired to follow in Wordsworth’s footsteps.

Wet weather needn’t dampen the romance, as Rydal Mount has a garden marquee as a contingency for inclement weather.

To order a Wordsworth picnic, visit Rydalmount.co.uk.