Lake District

The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a beautiful mountainous region and national park in Cumbria, North West England. It has a stunning landscape with many lakes, a coastline, and tall mountains. This special place has inspired many writers, such as Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, Arthur Ransome, and the Lake Poets.

The area has some of England's highest mountains, called fells. The tallest is Scafell Pike, followed by Helvellyn and Skiddaw. There are also sixteen big lakes in the region. The largest is Windermere, and the deepest is Wast Water.

The Lake District National Park was created in 1951. In 2017, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its beauty.

National Park

The Lake District National Park covers most of the central Lake District. Some areas like the town of Kendal, certain coastal spots, and the Cartmel and Furness peninsulas are just outside its borders. It became a national park on May 9, 1951, shortly after the Peak District became the first national park in the UK. In 2016, the park grew a little to the east toward the Yorkshire Dales National Park to include more beautiful land around the Lune Valley.

Each year, millions of visitors enjoy the Lake District National Park. It is the biggest national park in England and Wales and the second largest in all of the UK, after the Cairngorms National Park. The park aims to keep its special scenery safe by controlling changes from industry and business. In 2017, much of the park became a World Heritage Site for its important cultural landscape. The park is managed by the Lake District National Park Authority, headquartered in Kendal. They also run visitor centers, such as one at Windermere in an old house called Brockhole.

Human geography

General

The Lake District's size is not exact, but it is often a bit bigger than the National Park. The park is about 2,362 square kilometres. It stretches over 51 kilometres from east to west and nearly 64 kilometres from north to south. Some areas, like the Lake District Peninsulas, lie outside the park.

Settlement

Only a few big towns are in this mountainous area: Keswick, Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere (which are next to each other), and Ambleside. All these towns depend on tourism. Other important places near the park include Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Ulverston, Dalton-in-Furness, Whitehaven, Workington, Cockermouth, Penrith, Millom and Grange-over-Sands. Smaller villages such as Coniston, Threlkeld, Glenridding, Pooley Bridge, Broughton-in-Furness, Grasmere, Newby Bridge, Staveley, Lindale, Gosforth and Hawkshead are also there. Beyond these are small hamlets and many isolated farms.

Communications

Roads

The Lake District is nearly surrounded by big roads. To the east is the A6 road, running from Kendal to Penrith. To the south are the A590 and A5092 roads, and to the north is the A66 road between Penrith and Workington. The A595 road marks the park's edge from Calder Bridge to Holmrook, then follows the coast before turning inland.

Inside the area, important roads include the A591, which goes from Kendal to Windermere and then to Keswick. The A593 and A5084 connect Ambleside and Coniston to the south, while the A592 and A5074 link Windermere to the south. The A592 continues north to Ullswater and Penrith via the Kirkstone Pass.

Some valleys without big roads have smaller roads. The B5289 serves Lorton Vale and Buttermere, connecting through the Honister Pass to Borrowdale. The B5292 goes up the Whinlatter Pass to Braithwaite near Keswick. Other valleys like Little Langdale, Eskdale and Dunnerdale have minor roads.

Railways and ferries

The West Coast Main Line runs along the eastern edge of the Lake District, and the Cumbrian Coast Line passes through the south and west. The Windermere Branch Line goes from Kendal to Windermere. There are heritage railways like the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, which often uses steam trains. The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway links Lake Windermere to Haverthwaite.

The Windermere Ferry carries vehicles across Windermere, and there are seasonal passenger boats on Coniston Water, Derwent Water, and Ullswater.

Footpaths and bridleways

There are many paths for walking, with signs at the start and other points. In 2012, the National Park had many kilometres of paths for walking, horses, and other uses. There is also freedom to walk on much of the open land.

These paths have been used for centuries. They are now often used by walkers reaching the tops of hills. The Coast to Coast Walk passes through the park from west to east.

Land ownership

Most land in the national park is privately owned. Owners include individual farmers, the National Trust, forest owners, United Utilities, and the Lake District National Park Authority.

Physical geography

The Lake District is a beautiful, mountainous area in Cumbria, North West England. It is known for its lovely landscape, with many lakes, rivers, and mountains. The land has been shaped by glaciers, making deep valleys and pretty lakes.

The highest mountain in England is Scafell Pike, which is 978 meters (3,209 feet) tall. Other tall mountains in the area are Helvellyn and Skiddaw. These mountains have great views and are popular with hikers and nature lovers.

The Lake District also has many wooded areas and a coastline along the Irish Sea. These places are home to many different plants and animals, making it a special spot for nature fans.

Geology

Main article: Geology of the Lake District

The Lake District has very interesting rocks. A big piece of granite deep underground pushes the land up, making tall mountains. You can see this granite on the surface in places like Ennerdale, Skiddaw, Carrock Fell, Eskdale, and Shap.

The rocks in the Lake District are in three main groups from southwest to northeast. The rocks get younger as you move from the northwest to the southeast. The northwest part has older sedimentary rocks made of mudstones and siltstones, which make mountains with smoother slopes, like Skiddaw.

The middle part has a mix of volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the middle to late Ordovician period. These include lavas and tuffs from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group. Big lava flows made peaks like Great Rigg, and later eruptions made rocky land around Scafell Pike.

The southeast part has mudstones and wackes from the Windermere Supergroup. These rocks are softer and make lower land around Coniston and Windermere.

Later intrusions made areas of igneous rock in each group. Around the edges of these older rocks, you can find Carboniferous Limestone, which looks impressive at places like Whitbarrow Scar and Scout Scar.

Climate

The Lake District is very wet because it is near the northwest coast and has many mountains. It gets more than 2,000 mm (80 in) of rain each year, but the rain can be different in different places. Some spots get a lot more rain than others. The area can be windy, especially near the coast and on the hilltops.

Temperatures in the Lake District do not change much during the year. In winter, temperatures can be about 3 °C (37 °F), and in summer, they can reach around 15 °C (59 °F). Snow sometimes falls in winter between November and April, but it does not stay for long. The area often has fog, and the hills usually get only a few hours of sunshine each day.

Wildlife

The Lake District has many different animals and plants because of its lakes, forests, and mountains. It is a special home for the red squirrel, with the largest group in England. The area also has unique plants like sundew and butterwort, which are rare in Britain.

Birds such as golden eagles and ospreys live here. Ospreys return each spring from Africa to nest near Bassenthwaite Lake. The lakes have rare fish like vendace and Arctic charr. Conservation efforts help protect these special animals and plants.

Economy

Agriculture and forestry

Farming, especially raising sheep, has been important in the Lake District since Roman times. The tough Herdwick sheep, along with Rough Fell and Swaledale sheep, are common here. Sheep farming helps the local economy and keeps the land beautiful, with features like dry stone walls. Some land is used for growing silage and raising dairy cows.

Forestry has become more important recently, with many conifer trees planted around places like Whinlatter Pass, Ennerdale, and Grizedale Forest.

Industry

The Lake District has a long history of mining and quarrying. In the past, people mined stone for tools. Later, they mined copper, lead, baryte, graphite, and slate. Today, some slate mining still happens at Honister Mines. The graphite found here helped start the pencil industry near Keswick.

In the 1800s, the Lake District supplied half the world’s bobbins for textiles. Now, tourism is the main industry.

Development of tourism

Historical

Early visitors, like Celia Fiennes, traveled through the Lake District for fun and learning. Daniel Defoe described the area as wild and rugged. By the late 1700s, wars in Europe made the Lake District a popular place to visit. Thomas West wrote the first guide to the lakes in 1778, encouraging people to enjoy the scenery.

William Wordsworth’s book in 1810 helped make the area famous. Railways brought even more visitors in the 1800s, and steam boats on the lakes made travel easier.

Recent

The Lake District National Park was created in 1951 to protect the area. Today, many visitors come each year. Popular activities include walking, cycling, and visiting museums and theatres. However, too many visitors have caused problems like soil erosion on popular paths.

Gastronomy

The Lake District is known for its tasty food, like mutton, lamb, and the special Cumberland Sausage. The area also has many fine dining restaurants and local breweries that make ales, lagers, and craft spirits.

Literature and the arts

The Lake District has inspired creativity in many fields.

Literature

The Lake District is closely linked with English literature from the 18th and 19th centuries. William Wordsworth wrote some of his most famous poems here, like "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", inspired by flowers he saw at Ullswater. Wordsworth lived near the lakes and mountains, first at Hawkshead, then in Grasmere and Rydal Mount. He and other writers like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey were called the Lake Poets.

Many famous writers visited or lived in the Lake District, including Jane Austen, Charlotte Turner Smith, and John Ruskin. In the 20th century, children’s author Beatrix Potter lived at Hill Top Farm and set her Peter Rabbit stories there. Another children’s writer, Arthur Ransome, set parts of his Swallows and Amazons series in a made-up version of the Lake District.

Visual arts

The Lake District has inspired many artists. Two well-known artists who painted the area were Alfred Heaton Cooper and William Heaton Cooper. The German artist Kurt Schwitters lived in the Lake District after moving to Great Britain.

Musicians

The English composer Arthur Somervell was born in Windermere. Singer Taylor Swift wrote a song called "The Lakes" about her time living in the Lake District, mentioning the poet William Wordsworth.

Nomenclature

The Lake District has special words and phrases from the Cumbrian dialect. These words are also used in other parts of northern England. Some of these words include:

• Fell – a word from Old Norse meaning mountain. Vikings brought it to England.
• Howe – a word from Old Norse meaning a hill or mound.
• Tarn – a word for a small lake, also from Old Norse. It is used to describe small pools of water.
• Yan tan tethera – an old way of counting sheep. It is still taught in local schools.
• Heaf – a term meaning the "home territory" of a flock of sheep.