The best part of this game is when I discover something new and unexpected. I have never seen Rydal Hall before hidden away in its wooded grounds. I new it existed of course. It says so on the map. I didn’t even know there was a campsite in Rydal. Hidden away in its grounds, on the beck with the same name, is this waterfall. Named apparently as The Waterfall.
I am not the first person to admire the falls. In 1668 the landowner had the small building constructed with a window suitably positioned to perfectly frame the waterfall and no doubt providing a shelter from the Lakeland weather. Called The Grot it became during the Picturesque movement of the early 19th century when amongst its many visitors was William Wordsworth. The Grot is a Grade II listed building.
Picturesque is said to come from the Italian ‘pittoresco’ meaning ‘in the manner of a painting’.
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