Week One: Introduction to much of the environmental issues of the area and the tensions—positive and negative—between local farmers and conservationists. The first week will also include a visit to early industrial site Quarry Bank and Levens Hall, a 17th century garden and home to the world’s oldest topiary.
Week Two: This week our home base will be Grasmere. Students will travel to locations related to the early authors such as Claife Station, built on the picturesque principles of William Gilpin. A significant period of time will be spent at the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere, where students will work in the Wordsworth Library to understand Wordsworth’s views on nature, his composition process, and the environment in which he worked and lived.
Week Three: In Ennerdale we will meet important local conservationists engaged in the “Wild Ennerdale” project and undertake a deeper dive into a couple of important authors such as James Rebanks, George Monbiot, and William Wordsworth. The week will end with a trip to see Wordsworth’s birthplace home and garden in Cockermouth.
Week Four and Five will be based in Keswick in the north of the Lake District. The group will continue to explore areas of interest to the Lake District such as issues of coastal restoration, the impact of mining on the landscape, and the current zero carbon goals for the area.
Week Six will continue with reading local authors, visiting their homes (specifically John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter), and meeting local conservationists and other local officials. We hope week six will culminate with a seminar at the Wordsworth Trust where students will present their literary and science research findings to local citizens.