The village near Manchester with a famous bakery, stunning views and one of the UK’s best pubs

Grasmere was made famous by the Lake District poet William Wordsworth, who described his home there as “the most loveliest spot that man hath found”. It’s not hard to see why Wordsworth dished out such praise, as the village is surrounded by magnificent fells with breathtaking views as far as the eye can see.

Thousands of visitors descend upon the village every year to see Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived for 14 years. Another magnet for tourists is The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, which sells the world famous delicacy.

Yet Grasmere has another claim to fame. It’s now home to one of the best pubs in the country. The Swan, a pub located on the outskirts of the village, has been named a County Winner in the 2024 National Pub & Bar Awards.

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The awards celebrate “pioneering hospitality operators who have demonstrated excellence across a number of elements that affect the customer journey, including design, service, style of offer, marketing and investment”. A total of 94 ‘County Winners’ have been named from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A grand final for the awards will be held on June 26 this year where the Regional Winners will be announced, alongside other titles including the overall National Pub & Bar of the Year. Grasmere’s The Swan was named one of the North West winners, alongside Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Arms and Manchester’s own BOX. The pub, which dates back to the 1650s may have impressed the awards judges today, but it also caught the attention of Wordsworth himself.

He mentioned the pub in his poem, The Waggoners. He said: “Who does not know the famous Swan?”