Aira Force - a place of legend

IF you are staying near Ullswater then you'll certainly want to visit Aira Force waterfall. This dramatic sight is at the end of a short but steep walk and has strong connections with the poet Wordsworth. To reach it, park in the National Trust car park and exit via the rear of the car park along the well-signposted route. Although the waterfall is a popular spot with tourists, not many are aware of the legend that goes with it. The poet Wordsworth revived the legend when he wrote about it in his poem, The Somnambulist (an old word for a sleepwalker). It tells of young Emma waiting anxiously for her knight Sir Eglamore to return from the crusades - but the stress leads to her regularly sleepwalking out of her hunting lodge home and along the edge of Aira Force. When Sir Eglamore returned one evening he evetually finds her sleepwalking by the waterfall and tries to wake her up. But the shock of waking up causes Emma to slip and fall to her death. Poor Sir Eglamore lives out the rest of his life as a hermit in a cave near to the spot. Wordsworth has many strong connections with the area - not least that the daffodils along Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater inspired him to write his most famous poem, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud...


TOURIST TIP: Parking in the Lake District (or anywhere!) is not cheap these days. But become a member of the National Trust and you'll get free parking in their car parks anywhere in the country - and you'll be helping preserve Britain's heritage at the same time.


The first verse - just as a reminder:-


I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host, of golden daffodils; 
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.