Rydal Water
Encyclopedia
Rydal Water is a small lake in the central part of the English
Lake District
, in the county of Cumbria
. It is located near the hamlet
of Rydal
, between Grasmere
and Ambleside
in the Rothay Valley.
The lake is 1290yd (1.18km) long and varies in width up to a maximum of 380yd (350m), covering an area of 0.12mi² (0.31km²). It has a maximum depth of 65ft (17m) and an elevation above sea level
of 177ft (54m). The lake is both supplied and drained by the river Rothay
, which flows from Grasmere
upstream and towards Windermere
downstream.
The waters of the southern half of the lake are leased by the Lowther Estate to the National Trust
, whilst those of the northern half belong to the estate of Rydal Hall
. Navigation is prohibited, except for residents of Rydal Hall.
Numerous walks are possible in the surrounding hills, as well as a walk around the lake itself, which takes in Dove Cottage
and Rydal Mount
, both homes to William Wordsworth
, and Rydal Cave, a former quarry working. At the western end of the lake, steps lead to Wordsworth's Seat, which is considered to have been Wordsworth's favourite viewpoint in the Lake District.
White Moss House
, at the northern end of the lake, is believed to be the only house that Wordsworth ever bought. He bought it for his son Willie, and the family lived there until the 1930s. Nab Cottage overlooks the lake and it was once home to Thomas de Quincey
and Hartley Coleridge
, the son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
. Close by is the historic Rydal Hall.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, in the county of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. It is located near the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Rydal
Rydal, Cumbria
Rydal is an English village located in the shire county of Cumbria, which is in North West England. Historically within Westmorland, the village of Rydal is situated on the A591 road....
, between Grasmere
Grasmere
Grasmere is a village, and popular 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...
and Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
in the Rothay Valley.
The lake is 1290yd (1.18km) long and varies in width up to a maximum of 380yd (350m), covering an area of 0.12mi² (0.31km²). It has a maximum depth of 65ft (17m) and an elevation above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
of 177ft (54m). The lake is both supplied and drained by the river Rothay
River Rothay
The Rothay is a spate river of the Lake District in north-west England. Its name comes from Old Norse and translates literally as the red one. This has come to mean trout river. It rises close to Rough Crag above Dunmail Raise at a point about 1542 feet above sea level...
, which flows from Grasmere
Grasmere (lake)
Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth, which lies immediately to the north of the lake....
upstream and towards Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
downstream.
The waters of the southern half of the lake are leased by the Lowther Estate to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, whilst those of the northern half belong to the estate of Rydal Hall
Rydal Hall
Rydal Hall is an early 19th century Grade II listed historic house on the outskirts of the village of Rydal, Cumbria in the Lake District, England. The house is opposite Rydal Mount, home of the poet William Wordsworth...
. Navigation is prohibited, except for residents of Rydal Hall.
Numerous walks are possible in the surrounding hills, as well as a walk around the lake itself, which takes in Dove Cottage
Dove Cottage
Dove Cottage is a house on the edge of Grasmere in the Lake District. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth from December 1799 to May 1808, where they spent over eight years of "plain living, but high thinking"...
and Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount is a house near Ambleside in the Lake District. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth from 1813 to his death in 1850....
, both homes to William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, and Rydal Cave, a former quarry working. At the western end of the lake, steps lead to Wordsworth's Seat, which is considered to have been Wordsworth's favourite viewpoint in the Lake District.
White Moss House
White Moss House
White Moss House is situated at the north end of Rydal Water.William Wordsworth bought White Moss House when he moved from Dove Cottage in Grasmere to Rydal Mount....
, at the northern end of the lake, is believed to be the only house that Wordsworth ever bought. He bought it for his son Willie, and the family lived there until the 1930s. Nab Cottage overlooks the lake and it was once home to Thomas de Quincey
Thomas de Quincey
Thomas Penson de Quincey was an English esssayist, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater .-Child and student:...
and Hartley Coleridge
Hartley Coleridge
David Hartley Coleridge was an English poet, biographer, essayist, and teacher. He was the eldest son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His sister Sara Coleridge was a poet and translator, and his brother Derwent Coleridge was a distinguished scholar and author...
, the son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
. Close by is the historic Rydal Hall.