Grasmere
| Grasmere | |
|---|---|
 Grasmere |
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 Grasmere
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| Grasmere shown within Cumbria | |
| OS grid reference | NY335074 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | AMBLESIDE |
| Postcode district | LA22 |
| Dialling code | 015394 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Grasmere is a village and tourist destination in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets. The poet William Wordsworth, who lived in Grasmere for 14 years, described it as "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found".
Before 1974, Grasmere lay within the former county of Westmorland. Today it is part of the county of Cumbria.
"'The lake flanked by grass'; 'gres', 'mere'. Early spellings in 'Grys-', 'Gris(s)-' might suggest ON 'griss' 'young pig' as 1st el.[ement], but the weight of the evidence points to OE/ON 'gres' 'grass', with the modern form influenced by Standard English....The medial '-s(s)e-' may, as suggested by Ekwall in DEPN, point to ON 'gres-saer' 'grass-lake' as the original name...". Plus the element "'mere' OE, ModE 'lake, 'pool'." (OE refers to Old English, ON to Old Norse.)
The village is on the river Rothay which flows into Grasmere lake, which lies about 0.5 km to the south. The village is overlooked from the NW by the rocky hill of Helm Crag, popularly known as The Lion and the Lamb or the Old Lady at the Piano. These names are derived from the shape of rock formations on its summit, depending on which side you view it from.
A number of popular walks begin in the village, including the ascent of Helm Crag, a longer route up to Fairfield and a moderate 200-metre ascent to Easedale Tarn. The village is also on the route of Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk.
The A591 connects Grasmere to the Vale of Keswick over Dunmail Raise to the north, and Ambleside to the south. In other directions, Grasmere is surrounded by high ground. (As of Christmas 2015, the A591 was washed away on the Keswick side of Dunmail Raise, resulting in a long detour. It was reopened in May 2016.) To the west, a long ridge comes down from High Raise and contains the lesser heights of Blea Rigg and Silver How. To the east, Grasmere is bordered by the western ridge of the Fairfield horseshoe.
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Wikipedia