In the Footsteps of Romantic Explorers: Recreating the Climbs of Three Early Lake District Adventurers

Many of the earliest recreational Lake District ascents were made in the 1790s and 1800s. This autumn, Wordsworth Grasmere is leading the re-creation of three of these pioneering climbs: the soldier and ‘rambler’ Joseph Budworth’s first ascent ‘by a stranger’ of Helm Crag, Grasmere (1792); the Gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe’s influential horseback ride up Skiddaw (1794); and the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s moonlight traverse of Helvellyn and the Dodds (1800).

This session will present the original exploratory climbs and their re-walkings and show the three short films that were made to celebrate the pioneering adventurers.

Speakers: Professor Simon Bainbridge (Lancaster University); Dr Penny Bradshaw (Cumbria University); Jeff Cowton MBE (Wordsworth Grasmere); Dr Paul Davies (Wordsworth Grasmere).

In association with Kendal Mountain Festival and Lancaster University