An exploration of Coleridge’s nine day tour of the Lake District

This project has been greatly influenced by the research undertaken for my essay on the cultural legacy of maps in the Lake District National Park. This major project researches Coleridge’s nine day tour of the Lakes as recalled in the letters he wrote to Sara Hutchinson (Wordsworth’s sister in law). Paying particular attention to his descent of Scafell. Coleridge’s solitary nine day walking tour of the Lake District in August 1802 is often referred to as ‘a seminal moment in the histories of both the cultural geography of the Lake District and British Mountaineering’. Coleridge’s description of the descent of Broad Stand is frequently believed to be at the heart of British climbing literature.

This final project investigates this journey through typography, graphic design and illustration. A twelve page concertina book illustrates Coleridge’s descent of Broad Stand part of which is brought to life by a short animated piece. The journey is documented through a book of individual mood maps which chart each day of the journey along with a fold out map which shows all nine days of the journey and the emotional effects each place had on Coleridge.

The letters that Coleridge wrote are re-formatted and put together for the first time (I believe) in a book format. A book of my journey (a process book) accompanies the pieces as a reflection of the project and the stages to completion.