Lake District National Park

Formed in 1951, the Lake District National Park in the north west of England in the county of Cumbria, is the largest National Park in the country (occupying 885 sq. miles) and considered one of its most scenic regions.

Easily accessible from the major cities of the North, the Lake District is considered to be England's premier destination for hiking and climbing.

The snow covered route to the summit of Helvellyn, England's second highest peak. image, photo, picture, sights, point of interest, view, travel guide
The snow covered route to the summit of Helvellyn, England's second highest peak.


Cities, towns and villages

  • Windermere and lake of the same name.
  • Ambleside at the top of Lake Windermere - a major tourist centre.
  • Keswick on the shores of Derwent Water, the heart of the northern Lakes.
  • Coniston, village on the shores of Coniston Water.
  • Grasmere and lake of the same name.
  • Glenridding on the shores of Ullswater.
  • Kendal on the eastern edge of the Lake District
  • Penrith - the northern gateway to the lakes.

Other destinations

Lakes

The Lake District comprises of 16 lakes, 53 tarns, and several “waters”. All possess their own unique features and provide a comforting sense of permanence, standing as they do, framed by glorious backdrops of mountains, fells, and woodland.

  • Bassenthwaite Lake
  • Buttermere
  • Coniston Water
  • Crummock Water
  • Derwent Water
  • Elterwater
  • Ennerdale Water
  • Esthwaite
  • Grasmere
  • Haweswater Reservoir
  • Loweswater
  • Rydal Water
  • Thirlmere (now a reservoir with limited access)
  • Ullswater
  • Wast Water (England's deepest lake)
  • Windermere (England's largest lake)

Understand

The main attraction is the lakes and fells carved by glacial erosion and providing dramatic and inspiring scenery although much modified by man's intervention mainly by farming. It is the former home of cultural luminaries such as William Wordsworth and John Ruskin, and the walks and fells are famously documented by Alfred Wainwright.

First settled in the Stone Age (some residents still exist) and occupied by the Romans the area was heavily influenced by the Norse in their occupation circa 900A.D. They cleared the woods to produce charcoal to smelt lead in Glenridding and copper in the Borrowdale Valley and Coniston. They introduced the Herdwick sheep to the fells and left a legacy of language such as 'gill' gorge, 'beck' stream, 'tarn' lake, 'dale' valley and 'force' waterfall; of them all 'thwaite', a clearing in a wood, is the most common.

The Agricultural Revolution and the Enclosure Acts in the 18th century saw the erection of the dry stone walls which are a predominant feature on the fellsides. The 19th Century saw the advent of tourism with the arrival of the railway in the town of Windermere where it terminates.

The destination is popular with national and international visitors and this can easily cause congestion in busy periods at the most popular locations. Visitor attractions are numerous and not limited to scenic attractions.

Talk

Isolated by its geography, the inhabitants developed a strong regional accent and language commonly called 'Westmerian' after the former county name of Westmorland. Shepherds used their own vocabulary to count sheep yan, tyan, tetherie, peddera, gip (one to five) and local pronunciation of words include the phonetic sound of reeakk meaning rook (the bird) and yakk meaning oak. Even within the area variations existed, there being a number of differing counting words.

Get in

By rail

Windermere station is most conveniently located for the Southern Lakes. The train from here travels to Oxenholme station on the main West Coast line.

For the northern lakes, it is best to travel to Penrith, from where it is possible to catch a bus to Keswick.

By car

M6 motorway. A590, Junction 36 for the South Lakes, A66, Junction 40 for the North Lakes.

By air

The closest airport to the Lake District is at Blackpool, served by Ryanair from London. Other nearby airports include Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow,within 2-3hr drive.

Get around

The area is served by multiple bus routes, many of them operated by Stagecoach. However, as this is a rural area, and routes are necessarily limited to the roads in the valleys, it is sensible to plan your travel in advance.

The beautiful coastal railway, travelling between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness allows access to many of the rarely visited seaside towns and villages.

See

Do

  • Lakes District Outdoors information
  • Boat trips can be taken on many of the lakes, including Windermere, Ullswater and Derwentwater.
  • The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway [1] is a small narrow-gauge steam railway, connecting the mainline station of Ravenglass on the coast to Boot station in the Eskdale valley.

Eat

  • The Drunken Duck Inn brews its own beer and serves outstanding food all year round. Highly recommended. See Good Pub Guide for confirmation. http://www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk/
  • The Watermill at Ings is one of the finest pubs in the country, serving some of the best pub food and 16 (yes sixteen) real ales on tap at any one time. Do not miss. http://www.watermillinn.co.uk/

Drink

Stay

The Youth Hostelling Association maintains many youth hostels throughout the area. Self catering cottages are available at Lakeland Hideaways. This is a great way to see the Lake District and accommodation facilities include Pets Welcome.

Stay safe

Get out

External links