CHAPTER XI 

 SMALLER LAKES. II 



RYDAL WATER 



IF Rydal is one of the smallest it is certainly 

 one of the most beautiful of the lakes. It should 

 be seen from the west bank to be appreciated, and 

 this may be gained by the rustic bridge crossing 

 the Rothay, then continuing by a path which leads 

 through a farmyard. Viewed from here the river 

 and lake are alike beautiful. 



Rydal itself teems with associations of Words- 

 worth, and both Hartley Coleridge and De Quincey 

 resided here. Wordsworth wrote much of his 

 most enduring work at Rydal Mount. The view 

 from the grassy mound in front of the house is 

 strikingly beautiful, commanding the whole of 

 the Rothay valley, with a portion of Windermere. 

 There is, too, a summer-house in the grounds, 

 from which there is a charming view of Rydal 

 Water. 



Quite near, in the Rydal Hall grounds, are 

 the famous Rydal Falls, which should be visited. 

 With the exception of a portion of the left bank, 



