Daft about those daffs – spring in Grasmere

THERE'S something special about a bunch of fresh daffs when spring has finally sprung. But it does help when they're in the wild and not just in a bucket of water on a filling station forecourt.

Which is it why it was worth girding the loins and heading for the place where our lasting love of daffodils was put into wonderful words which have endured for generations.

The moving verses which now belong to us all were lovingly written down by Lakeland poet William Wordsworth, who has inspired a lasting pilgrimage to the Aira Force waterfall, near to where he is said to have seen drifts of blossoms. 

Another theory is that he pinched a lot of his inspiration from his sister Dorothy, who was fired up to write about the lovely daffs she saw around Brothers Water in the Hartsop Valley.

A poetical carpeting of daffodils – it has to be Grasmere

Either way, they both apparently put pen to paper at the home they shared in the village of Grasmere, near Ambleside… and that seemed a great base to ponder the poetry and see spring springing from the peace and quiet of a luxury retreat.

The comfort in question was provided by the Rothay Garden, a proudly independent  4* hotel which owner Chris Carrs, who has been there for 24 years, has turned into a haven of sheer indulgence, if you like that sort of thing. And who doesn't?

Our gorgeous base, the Rothay Garden; below, the beck 

The hotel is set in two acres of mature, well-tended gardens with magnificent trees on the fringe of the village, with the River Rothay and its resident ducks and dippers flowing gently by or cascading past – depending on the weather – only yards away, providing priceless background music if you leave open the doors to your private balcony looking out on the water and the nearby fells.

Nice to look at and listen to, as well, from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the appropriately-named Riverside Spa, reached by a covered wooden walkway from the hotel and equipped with all you need for a spot of pampering, from the warm HydroSpa with its jets and bubbles to a herbal pine sauna, aroma room, monsoon showers, infra-red heated marble loungers and a reflexology walk over floor panels embedded with graded pebbles.

It was just what was needed after a 'must-do' pilgrimage, with the Wordsworths' long-time home, Dove Cottage (above), just across the main road from the village and with many of their favourite flowers folding open and vying with the snowdrops in the 'Wordsworth daffodil garden' next to the church, alongside paths made up of hundreds of Lakeland slate tiles inscribed with the names of visitors from all over the world.

Started turning nippy, so the warm light of the sunset over the russet fells gave way to the warmth of the hotel matched by the warmth of the staff, many of whom have been with Chris for years and share his drive and enthusiasm. 

After drinking in the view from the balcony of our Grasmere Room – the hotel has several room themes, along with sumptuous suites – we headed for one of the two lounges and settled down for a lengthy read of the menu and enormous wine list, helped by a before-dinner try-out of a wine from the bar's unusual Cruvinet, designed to dispense 14 fine wines by the glass, while keeping them in prime condition. 

The AA double-rosette kitchenis serve food right up there with the best on the area, served in the airy, conservatory-style setting of the Garden Restaurant, overlooking the lawns.

A pre-starter of parsnip soup with a light curry foam hinted at quality to come and there was no disappointment, with an appetiser of seared scallops and squares of BBQ pork belly with piquant sauces for me; and twice-baked cheese soufflé with red onion marmalade and basil dressing for my companion.

Our delicious fish course

Main courses proved to deserved main events and my outstanding choice was pan-fried cod with a Morecambe Bay shrimp beurre blanc, glazed baby veg, including carrots and turnips, and new potatoes. 

My partner chose sautéed supreme of local chicken with spinach and ricotta ravioli, foie  gras, truffle, baby leeks, girolles, tomato, and sherry cream jus – and rated it the best combination of flavours on one plate that she could remember.

The occasion was helped along with a spot of wine from the 200-plus bins on offer. Chris has a special connection with the Lapostolle estate in Chile, having visited the vineyards and met the people involved, so it seemed only right to trust his judgement and try one of their wines – a pleasant, fruity Rapel Valley rosé for a reasonable £23.

Panna cotta, a lighter pud

Pretty full by dessert time, so local sticky toffee pudding was never in the equation – nor too the array of farmhouse cheeses. Instead, it was a vanilla panna cotta with boozy cherries and sorbet and a shortbread shard.

The next day started with a Cumberland breakfast which almost did away with the need for lunch. And dinner.

David Graham is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and on the team of SilverTravelAdvisor.com