Behind every great man, there's an even greater woman. Isn’t that how the saying goes?

It seems the poet William Wordsworth was no exception.

My sister and I were visiting Dove Cottage, his home at Grasmere in the Lake District, when our guide (admittedly a woman) quoted the line after revealing a literary secret.

That Wordsworth’s famous phrase in his poem Daffodils – “They [the flowers] flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude” – was actually penned by his sister Dorothy.

Today, centuries later, she may finally have got the recognition she deserved.

The Wordsworth museum, next to the cottage, is holding an exhibition of her work.

Her detailed journals make intriguing reading.

They’re a reminder of how much life has changed since the 1800s, unless you “read a little Chaucer and prepared a goose for dinner” last night?

I thought not.

My sister and I visit the Lake District regularly for a little sibling bonding (yes, we need a fair deal of it) but we rarely go at this time of year.

Although there’s an even greater chance of showers than usual, the autumn colours, reflected in the lakes are magical.

We stayed first at the Low Wood Resort with a room that overlooked Lake Windermere and came with a jacuzzi bath.

Dinner was at the Lamplighter restaurant in town: roast beef with too many trimmings!

A blustery boat ride from Bowness took us to the aquarium at Lakeside. It housed an assorted collection, and although we never found the marmoset or harvest mouse, we enjoyed the otters and loved the Scuttle, Slide and Slither table.

My sister said it was really for the kids but who could resist holding Charlie, son of Cinder, the boa constrictor we’d met earlier?

The next day we were doing some sliding of our own as we scaled a wet cliff face 2,000 feet above Honister Pass near Keswick on England’s first via ferrata.

“Iron ways” – metal rungs hammered into sheer crags – were used in the Dolomites to facilitate troop movements in the First World War. The idea was adopted by Victorian miners at Honister slate mine to help them move around quickly. I never quite mastered the speed.

Our route took us through the mine (still working) to the summit of Fleetwith Pike.

The grey clouds parted to reveal rolling hills and views of Buttermere and Crummock water.

We drove next to Hallthwaites, a village near Broughton-in-Furness and stayed at one of the most charming B&Bs I’ve come across.

Our room, in a converted barn, wouldn’t have been out of place in a posh interior design magazine, yet it still had a welcome cosiness.

Karen, the owner, emerged from the farmhouse to guide us up the drive with a torch, then served homemade walnut bread, Cumbrian sausages and farmyard eggs for breakfast.

We spent our final morning riding Cumbrian heavy horses – huge yet docile beasts obviously adored by their owner, Annie.

Sitting astride their massive flanks we skirted fields, cut through woodland and crossed streams, all in brilliant sunshine.

Usually, when we head to the Lakes my sister sets the agenda and it’s all about camping and hiking. But this was a great active alternative.

ESSENTIALS

For more information on the Lakes: golakes.co.uk

Low Wood Bay Hotel: englishlakes.co.uk

Bank House Farm, Hallthwaites, bankhousefarm.wordpress.com

Lamplighter restaurant: lamplighterdiningrooms.com

Dove Cottage: wordsworth.org.uk

Honister Slate mine: honister.com

Cumbrian Heavy Horses: cumbrianheavy horses.com