1784 - 'the Alps ‘in miniature’

The first edition of Thomas West’s Guide in 1778 was ‘dedicated to the lovers of landscape studies and to all who have visited or intend to visit the lakes.’ West suggested 21 ideal viewpoints or ‘stations’ for travellers, many of which are still mentioned in guidebooks today. In doing so, West formalised the Lake District travel itinerary that had been developing since the 1750s. Wordsworth especially appreciated how West’s Guide had been ‘eminently serviceable to the Tourist for nearly fifty years’, and that it compared a tour of the local region to a Continental tour of the Alps ‘in miniature’.

Thomas West, A Guide to the Lakes, in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, 3rd ed, 1784.