John Keats

When you read the eloquent lines of 19th-century poet John Keats it is hard to remember that this passionate writer was only 26 when he died. Yet this restless soul left a legacy of memorable poems, odes and sonnets. 

During April 1817 he visited the Isle of Wight, and in a letter to his friend John Reynolds extolled the virtues of Carisbrooke, where he was staying, and the island - "I see Carisbrooke Castle from my window, and have found several delightful wood-alleys, and copses....”  He expressed his intention of walking "over the Island east - West - North South...”. Indeed, walking here is delightful, with the Isle of Wight Coastal Path fringing the coastline, and half the island designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and criss-crossed by paths and cycleways. 

About a year later he embarked on a long walking tour of Northern England and Scotland with his friend Charles Brown. Of Keats' first impression of Bowness in the Lake District his friend Brown wrote, "I cannot forget the joy, the rapture of my friend when he suddenly...became sensible to the full effect of mountain scenery…when the lake of Windermere at once came into view... All was enchantment to us both." In Scotland one of the places that greatly impressed Keats was Loch Awe near Oban. At 25 miles (40 km) long, it’s the longest stretch of fresh water in Britain and is fringed by Inverliever Forest’s walks and cycle routes as well as the Lochs and Glens North national cycle route. They also managed the considerable feat of climbing Ben Nevis, which today is skirted by the West Highland Way footpath.

Further information

Lakes (www.lake-district.gov.uk ) 
West Highland Way (www.west-highland-way.co.uk)