Wordsworth wrote this poem in 1816 and first published it in 1820 in his River Duddon collection. In his 1843 collected works, he added the following note: “Rydal Mount,
1816. The lady was Miss Blackett, then residing with Mr. Montagu Burgoyne, at Fox-Ghyll.
We were tempted to remain too long upon the mountain, and I imprudently, with the
hope of shortening the way, led her among the crags and down a steep slope, which
entangled us in difficulties, that were met by her with much spirit and courage.”

Seathwaite (Borrowdale) is the wettest inhabited place in England, receiving approximately
140 inches of rain per year. As the local guide leading Dorothy’s party remarked,
they were fortunate to have a clear day with spectacular views.

The account that follows does not draw, as Wordsworth seems to imply, from one of
his own letters, but instead from one of Dorothy’s, which she wrote to William Johnson
in October 1818. This letter, which Dorothy copied into one of her notebooks, recorded
her recent excursion up Scafell Pike with her friend Mary Barker and three others.