WilliamWordsworth’sGuidetotheLakesgivesafirst-handaccountofhisfeelingsabouttheuniquecountrysidethatwasthesourceofhisinspiration.Headdressesconcernsthatarerelevanttoday,suchashowthegrowingnumberofvisitors,andthemoneytheymightbring,wouldaffectsuchasmallandvulnerablelandscape.ItisnowunderstoodthatWordsworth’snotionoftheLakeDistrictas’asortofnationalproperty,inwhicheverymanhasarightandinterestwhohasaneyetoperceiveandahearttoenjoy’,expressedinhisGuide,gavearationaleforthefoundationoftheNationalTrustin1895andtheestablishmentoftheLakeDistrictNationalParkin1951.Furthermore,the2017nominationdocumentfortheLakeDistrictasaWorldHeritagesitequotesthisphraseinrecognitionofWordsworth’scontributiontotheideathat’landscapehasavalue,andthateveryonehasarighttoappreciateandenjoyit’.WecannowseehowWordsworth’sGuidehashadafar-reachinginfluenceonthemodernconceptoflegally-protectedlandscape.Firstpublishedin1810andrepeatedlyrevisedbyitsauthorovertheensuingtwenty-fiveyears,WilliamWordsworth’sGuidetotheLakeshaslongbeenconsideredacrucialtextforscholarsofRomantic-eraaesthetics,ecology,travelwriting,andtourism.
