William Wordsworth's childhood home, Cockermouth.

The much expected change in weather occurred overnight and we woke to dark clouds, rain and drizzle. So we went to Cockermouth to visit William Wordsworth's childhood home.

Well worth the visit too. An intimate little venue which allowed you to experience life in the home of a reasonably affluent family. I enjoyed the quotes around the home, from Wordsworth and others. In my grey years I've begun to appreciate poetry more - find it very difficult to read but much better when listened to, especially if read by the author. We watched a programme on John Betjeman the other night and it was lovely to hear him speak his own verse.

We enjoyed the obligatory coffee and scone in the National Trust shop before the visit and had a quick scamper around the town in the gloom. Seemed a nice place, devastated of course by the floods of November 2009 when the waters from the Cocker and Derwent engulfed the town. The event made the national news headlines, with the water being 7 or 8 feet deep in the main street.

Later in the afternoon we walked along the banks of the very subdued Derwent, up a very overgrown tributary valley and along a very ancient old Roman road, with some foot catching cobbles in more of the same dank but mild weather.