A LONDON station welcomed ‘a host of golden daffodils’ this week, as part of a new campaign to encourage the public to see the Lake District as ‘Wordsworth Country’ once again.

The Wordsworth Trust wants to raise awareness of the many sites of natural beauty that helped inspire the writer whose works have helped to draw visitors to the region which he described as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.

As part of the campaign, organised by trust and in partnership with Virgin Trains, Euston Station – the gateway to the Lake District from the capital – was transformed into an homage to the Victorian poet, with a giant three meter daffodil garden for travellers to enjoy and a signpost highlighting the way to ‘Wordsworth Country’.

Commuters were invited to take a ‘seat and a selfie’ amongst the blooms synonymous with the Romantic poet. Surprised commuters and holiday-makers were also treated to an impromptu performance of William Wordsworth’s famous poem ‘Daffodils’, led by comedian and Grumpy Old Man star Arthur Smith.

The term Wordsworth Country continued to appear even on road signs and train posters until the 1970s before falling out of general use.

The drive to encourage tourism to Wordsworth Country will provide much needed support for the regional economy in the wake of Storm Desmond and the floods that ravaged the region at the end of 2015.

A new app will enable visitors to the Lakes to follow in Wordsworth’s footsteps via an interactive map that unveils a total of 42 locations across the region featuring in his poems.

The Lake District National Park Partnership has also launched a bid for the area to be granted World Heritage Status in 2017, meaning it would be ranked among other sites of natural and man-made beauty around the world, such as the Taj Mahal, Hadrian's Wall and the Great Barrier Reef.

Paul Kleian from The Wordsworth Trust says, “Celebrating the words of the poet and the places he immortalised is particularly pertinent as we approach his 250th birthday. Our app will allow people to follow in the footsteps of Victorian tourists, using original guide books, maps, poems and paintings to guide them to places that inspired the poet. By promoting ‘Wordsworth Country’ in the same manner as ‘Shakespeare Country’, ‘Hardy Country’ and ‘Bronte Country’, we hope that people will think of the region as a cultural place as well as one for outdoor activities and that future generations visiting the Lake District will understand Wordsworth’s enormous influence on the region."

Comedian Arthur Smith added, “I went on school trips to the Lake District when I was a boy and learned to love the dramatic landscapes we walked over: subsequently I came to enjoy the lyrical landscapes of the Romantic poets, especially Wordsworth and Coleridge. I have been back walking there many times since and hope to again soon.”