Rydal Water

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Eastern end of Rydal Water
Eastern end of Rydal Water

Rydal Water is a small lake in the central region of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. As it is less than a mile long, it is probably best described as a tarn. It is a quarter of a mile in width and 55 feet in depth.

It is located near the hamlet of Rydal, between Grasmere and Ambleside in the Rothay Valley. Rydal was home to William Wordsworth for 37 years. Dove Cottage was one of his homes there. Rydal Mount was the other. 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.

Rydal Water is surrounded by numerous walks on the hills and fells, as well as a walk around the tarn itself, which takes in Dove Cottage, Rydal Mount and Rydal Cave. 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.