| Lake District | |
|---|---|
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Scafell Pike |
| Elevation | 978 m (3,209 ft) |
| Coordinates | 54°27′15″N3°12′42″W / 54.45424°N 3.21160°W /54.45424; -3.21160 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Largest lakes by area | Windermere,Ullswater,Derwentwater |
| Largest settlements | Kendal,Ambleside,Windermere,Keswick |
| Geology | |
| Orogenies | |
| Rock age | PrimarilyOrdovician |
| Rock type(s) | Primarilyvolcanic andsedimentary |
| Lake District National Park | |
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1] | |
 The Lake District national park | |
| Area | 2,362 km2 (912 sq mi)[2] |
| Established | 9 May 1951 |
| Visitors |
|
| Governing body | Lake District National Park Authority |
| Official name | The English Lake District |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, v, vi |
| Reference | 422 |
| Inscription | 2017 (41stSession) |
| Area | 229,205.19 ha |
TheLake District, also known asthe Lakes orLakeland, is a mountainous region andnational park inCumbria,North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mountains, and for its literary associations withBeatrix Potter,John Ruskin,Arthur Ransome,[4] and theLake Poets.
The Lakelandfells, or mountains, include England'shighest:[5]Scafell Pike (978 m; 3,209 ft),Helvellyn (950 m; 3,120 ft) andSkiddaw (931 m; 3,054 ft). The region also containssixteen major lakes.[6] They includeWindermere, which with a length of 11 miles (18 km) and an area of 5.69 square miles (14.73 km2) is the longest and largest lake in England, andWast Water, which at 79 metres (259 ft) is the deepest lake in England.[7][8]
The Lake District National Park was established in 1951, and covers an area of 2,362 km2 (912 square miles), the bulk of the region.[2] It was designated aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.[9]
TheLake District National Park includes all of the central Lake District, though the town ofKendal, some coastal areas and theCartmel andFurness peninsulas are located outside the park's boundary. The area was designated anational park on 9 May 1951, a month after thePeak District, the first UK national park. It retained its original boundaries until 2016, when it was extended by 3% to the east, in the direction of theYorkshire Dales National Park, to incorporate land of high landscape value around theLune Valley.[10]
The national park received 18.14 million tourist visitors in 2022. This equates to 29.15 million tourist days, counting visits of greater than three hours.[11] It is the largest of the thirteen national parks in England and Wales and the second largest in the UK after theCairngorms National Park.[12] Its aim is to protect the landscape by restricting unwelcome change by industry or commerce. The area of the national park, with the exception of the 2016 extension, was designated aWorld Heritage Site in 2017 as acultural landscape. This was the fourth attempt to list the park, after two attempts in the 1980s and one in 2012 failed.[13][14]
The park is governed by the Lake District National Park Authority, which is based at offices inKendal. It runs a visitor centre onWindermere at a former country house calledBrockhole,[15] Coniston Boating Centre,[16] and information centres. The park authority has 20 members: six appointed by Westmorland and Furness Council, four by Cumberland Council, and ten by theSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[17]
The precise extent of the Lake District is undefined, but it is sometimes considered[who?] to be slightly larger than that of the National Park, whose total area is about 2,362 square kilometres (912 sq mi).[2] The park extends just over 51 kilometres (32 mi) from east to west and nearly 64 kilometres (40 mi) from north to south,[18] with areas such as the Lake District Peninsulas to the south lying outside the National Park.[19]
There are only a few major settlements within this mountainous area: the towns ofKeswick;Windermere andBowness-on-Windermere (which are contiguous); andAmbleside, are the three largest. The economies of all these are heavily dependent on tourism. Significant settlements close to the boundary of the national park includeCarlisle,Barrow-in-Furness,Kendal,Ulverston,Dalton-in-Furness,Whitehaven,Workington,Cockermouth,Penrith,Millom andGrange-over-Sands; each of these has important economic links with the area. Other villages areConiston,Threlkeld,Glenridding,Pooley Bridge,Broughton-in-Furness,Grasmere,Newby Bridge,Staveley,Lindale,Gosforth andHawkshead. Beyond these are a scattering of hamlets and many isolated farmsteads, some of which are still tied to agriculture;[citation needed] others now function as part of the tourist economy.[20]
The Lake District is very nearly contained within a box oftrunk routes and major A roads. It is flanked to the east by theA6 road, which runs from Kendal to Penrith (though the National Park extension approved in 2015 is east of the A6); across its southern fringes by theA590, which connects the M6 to Barrow-in-Furness, and theA5092, and across its northern edge by theA66 trunk road between Penrith andWorkington. TheA595 (linking the A66 with the A5092) forms the park boundary fromCalder Bridge toHolmrook, where the park boundary becomes the sea. The A595 crosses the coastal plain of the park until turning inland at theWhicham Valley, forming much of the park boundary again until joining the A5092 at Grizebeck.[21][20]
Besides these, a fewA roads penetrate the area itself, notably theA591 which runs north-westwards from Kendal to Windermere and then on to Keswick. It continues up the east side ofBassenthwaite Lake. "The A591, Grasmere, Lake District" was short-listed in the 2011Google Street View awards in the Most Romantic Street category. TheA593 andA5084 link the Ambleside and Coniston areas with the A590 to the south whilst theA592 andA5074 similarly link Windermere with the A590. The A592 also continues northwards from Windermere toUllswater and Penrith by way of theKirkstone Pass.[22][20]
Some valleys which are not penetrated by A roads are served byB roads. The B5289 serves Lorton Vale andButtermere and links via theHonister Pass withBorrowdale. TheB5292 ascends theWhinlatter Pass from Lorton Vale before dropping down toBraithwaite near Keswick. TheB5322 serves the valley ofSt John's in the Vale whilstGreat Langdale is served by theB5343. Other valleys such asLittle Langdale,Eskdale andDunnerdale are served by minor roads. The last of these is connected with the first two by theWrynose andHardknott passes respectively; both of these passes are known for their steep gradients and are together one of the most popularclimbs in the United Kingdom for cycling enthusiasts.[23] A minor road through theNewlands Valley connects viaNewlands Hause with the B5289 at Buttermere.Wasdale is served by a cul-de-sac minor road,[a] as isLongsleddale and the valleys atHaweswater andKentmere. There are networks of minor roads in the lower-lying southern part of the area, connecting numerous communities between Kendal, Windermere, and Coniston.[20]
TheWest Coast Main Line skirts the eastern edge of the Lake District and theCumbrian Coast Line passes through the southern and western fringes of the area. A single railway line, theWindermere Branch Line, penetrates from Kendal to Windermere via Staveley. Railways once served Broughton-in-Furness and Coniston (closed to passengers in 1958) and another ran from Penrith to Cockermouth via Keswick (closed west of Keswick in 1966 and completely in 1972). Part of the track of the latter is used by the improved A66 trunk road.[citation needed]
The Cumbrian Coast Line has three stations within the boundaries of the national park (and additionallyDrigg, about a third of a mile from the park boundary). The line gives railway enthusiasts and others a flavour of a pre-Beeching railway line, with features like manually operated level crossing gates. It gives a good connection to theRavenglass and Eskdale Railway. This narrow-gauge railway travels from the coast (atRavenglass) into Eskdale. Often operated with steam locomotives, it provides access for cyclists and walkers to the Western Fells, as well as being an attraction in its own right. It reaches as far as the station atDalegarth nearBoot.[24]
Aheritage railway, theLakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, runs between Lake Windermere andHaverthwaite, and tourists can connect at Lakeside with the boats up the lake to Bowness.[citation needed]
A vehicle-carryingcable ferry, theWindermere Ferry, runs frequent services across Windermere. There are also seasonal passenger boats on Coniston Water, Derwent Water, and Ullswater.[citation needed]
There are many paths over which the public has aright of way, all of which are signposted at their origin on public roads and at some other points.[25] Within the area of the National Park in 2012 there were 2,159 km (1,342 mi) ofpublic footpaths,875 km (544 mi) ofpublic bridleways,15 km (9 mi) ofrestricted byways and30 km (19 mi) ofbyways open to all traffic,[b] although a system of permits operates onGatescarth Pass.[27] There is also a general "right to roam" over much of the open country (defined as "mountain, moor, heath anddown"[28]), which includes approximately 50% of the national park.[29]
Many of these tracks arose centuries ago and were used either as ridge highways (such as alongHigh Street) or aspasses for travelling across the ridges between settlements in the valleys. Historically these paths were not planned for reaching summits, but more recently they are used by fell walkers for that purpose.[30] TheCoast to Coast Walk, which crosses the north of England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, traverses the national park from west to east.[31]
Most of the land within the national park is in private ownership, with about 55% registered as agricultural land. Landowners include:
The Lake District is a roughly circular uplandmassif, deeply dissected by a broadlyradial pattern of major valleys which are largely the result of repeatedglaciations over the last 2 million years. The apparent radial pattern is not from a central dome, but from an axial watershed extending from St Bees Head in the west to Shap in the east. Most of these valleys display the U-shaped cross-section characteristic of glacial origin and often contain long narrow lakes inbedrock hollows, with tracts of relatively flat ground at their infilled heads, or where they are divided by lateral tributaries (Buttermere-Crummock Water; Derwent Water-Bassenthwaite Lake).[c] Smaller lakes known astarns occupyglacial cirques at higher elevations. It is the abundance of both which has led to the area becoming known as the Lake District.[citation needed]
Many of the higherfells are rocky, whilemoorland predominates lower down. Vegetation cover in better-drained areas includesbracken andheather, although much of the land isboggy, due to the high rainfall. Deciduous native woodland occurs on many of the steeper slopes below thetree line, but with native oak supplemented by extensive conifer plantations in many areas, particularlyGrizedale Forest in the generally lower southern part of the area. The Lake District extends to the sea to the west and south.[34]
The highest mountain in England,Scafell Pike (978 m or 3209 feet), has a far-reaching view on a clear day, ranging from the Galloway Hills of Scotland, theMourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, andSnowdonia in Wales.[citation needed]
The mountains (or 'fells') of the Lake District are known as the "Cumbrian Mountains", "Cumbrian Fells" or "Lakeland Fells". The four highest fells exceed 3,000 feet (914 m). These are:
TheNorthern Fells are a clearly defined range of hills contained within a 13 km (8 mi) diameter circle betweenKeswick in the southwest andCaldbeck in the northeast. They culminate in the 931 m (3,054 ft) peak ofSkiddaw. Other notable peaks areBlencathra (also known as Saddleback) (868 m (2,848 ft)) andCarrock Fell. Much of this area falls within theSkiddaw Group SSSI, aSite of Special Scientific Interest designated for its ecology and geology.[35]Bassenthwaite Lake occupies the valley between this massif and the North Western Fells.[citation needed]
TheNorth Western Fells lie betweenBorrowdale and Bassenthwaite Lake to the east and Buttermere and Lorton Vale to the west. Their southernmost point is atHonister Pass. This area includes the Derwent Fells above theNewlands Valley and hills to the north amongst which areDale Head,Robinson. To the north standGrasmoor, highest in the range at 852 m (2,795 ft),Grisedale Pike and the hills around the valley ofColedale, and in the far northwest is Thornthwaite Forest andLord's Seat. The fells in this area are roundedSkiddaw slate, with few tarns and relatively few rock faces.[citation needed]
TheWestern Fells lie between Buttermere andWasdale, withSty Head forming the apex of a large triangle.Ennerdale bisects the area, which consists of theHigh Stile ridge north of Ennerdale, theLoweswater Fells in the far northwest, thePillar group in the southwest, andGreat Gable (899 m (2,949 ft)) near Sty Head. Other tops includeSeatallan,Haystacks andKirk Fell. This area is craggy and steep, with the impressive pinnacle of Pillar Rock its showpiece.Wastwater, located in this part, is England's deepest lake.[citation needed]
TheCentral Fells are lower in elevation than surrounding areas of fell, peaking at 762 m (2,500 ft) atHigh Raise. They take the form of a ridge running betweenDerwent Water in the west andThirlmere in the east, fromKeswick in the north toLangdale Pikes in the south. A spur extends southeast toLoughrigg Fell above Ambleside. The central ridge running north overHigh Seat is exceptionally boggy.
TheEastern Fells consist of a long north-to-southridge, theHelvellyn range, running fromClough Head toSeat Sandal with the 950 m (3,118 ft)Helvellyn at its highest point. The western slopes of these summits tend to be grassy, with rockycorries andcrags on the eastern side. TheFairfield group lies to the south of the range and forms a similar pattern with towering rock faces and hidden valleys spilling into thePatterdale valley. It culminates in the height ofRed Screes overlooking theKirkstone Pass.[citation needed]
TheFar Eastern Fells refers to all of the Lakeland fells to the east of Ullswater and the A592 road running south to Windermere. At 828 m (2,717 ft), the peak known asHigh Street is the highest point on a complex ridge that runs broadly north-south and overlooks the hidden valley ofHaweswater to its east. In the north of this region are the lower fells of Martindale Common and Bampton Common whilst in the south are the fells overlooking theKentmere valley. Further to the east, beyondMardale andLongsleddale isShap Fell, an extensive area consisting of highmoorland, more rolling andPennine in nature than the mountains to the west.[citation needed]
TheSouthern Fells occupy the southwestern quarter of the Lake District. They can be regarded as comprising a northern grouping between Wasdale, Eskdale, and the two Langdale valleys, a southeastern group east of Dunnerdale and south of Little Langdale, and a southwestern group bounded by Eskdale to the north and Dunnerdale to the east.[citation needed]
The first group includes England's highest mountains:Scafell Pike in the centre, at 978 m (3,209 ft) andScafell one mile (1.6 km) to the southwest. Though it is slightly lower, Scafell has a 700 ft (210 m) rockface, Scafell Crag, on its northern side. This group also includes theWastwater Screes overlooking Wasdale, theGlaramara ridge overlooking Borrowdale, the three tops ofCrinkle Crags,Bowfell andEsk Pike. The core of the area is drained by the infantRiver Esk. Collectively these are some of the Lake District's most rugged hillsides.[citation needed]
The second group, otherwise known as theFurness Fells or Coniston Fells, have as their northern boundary the steep and narrowHardknott andWrynose passes. The highest areOld Man of Coniston andSwirl How which slightly exceed 800 m (2,600 ft).[citation needed]
The third group to the west of the Duddon includesHarter Fell and the long ridge leading overWhitfell toBlack Combe and the sea. The south of this region consists of lower forests and knolls, withKirkby Moor on the southern boundary. The southwestern Lake District ends near theFurness peninsula and Barrow-in-Furness, a town which many Lake District residents rely on for basic amenities.Miterdale Head Wood is asite of special scientific interest in the region.[citation needed]
The southeastern area is the territory betweenConiston Water andWindermere and east of Windermere towards Kendal and south to Lindale. There are no high summits in this area which are mainly low hills, knolls and limestonecuestas such asGummer's How andWhitbarrow. Indeed, it rises only as high as 333 m (1,093 ft) atTop o' Selside east of Coniston Water; the wide expanse ofGrizedale Forest stands between the two lakes.Kendal andMorecambe Bay stand at the eastern and southern edges of the area.[citation needed]
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The main radial valleys are (clockwise from the south)Dunnerdale,Eskdale,Wasdale,Ennerdale, the Vale of Lorton, and Buttermere valley, theDerwent Valley andBorrowdale, the Ullswater valley, Haweswater valley,Longsleddale, theKentmere valley, those converging on the head of Windermere - Grasmere,Great Langdale and Little Langdale, and the Coniston Water valley. The valleys break the mountains up into blocks, which have been described by various authors in different ways. The most frequently encountered approach is that made popular byAlfred Wainwright who published seven separate area guides to the Lakeland Fells.[citation needed]
Only one of the lakes in the Lake District is called by that name,Bassenthwaite Lake. All the others such asWindermere,Coniston Water,Ullswater andButtermere are meres,tarns and waters, withmere being the least common andwater being the most common. The major lakes and reservoirs in the National Park are given below.[citation needed]
Below thetree line are wooded areas, including British and European nativeoak woodlands and introduced softwood plantations. The woodlands provide habitats for native English wildlife. The nativered squirrel is found in the Lake District and a few other parts of England. In parts of the Lake District, the rainfall is higher than in any other part of England. This givesAtlanticmosses,ferns,lichen, andliverworts the chance to grow. There is someancient woodland in the National Park. Management of the woodlands varies: some arecoppiced, somepollarded, some left to grow naturally, and some provide grazing and shelter.[citation needed]
The Lake District extends to the coast of the Irish Sea fromDrigg in the north toSilecroft in the south, encompassing theestuaries of theEsk and its tributaries, theIrt and theMite. The intertidal zone of the combined estuaries includes sand, shingle and mudflats, andsaltmarsh. The dune systems on either side of the estuary are protected as nature reserves; Drigg Dunes and Gullery[37] to the north and Eskmeals Dunes[38] to the south. South of the estuary, the coast is formed in low cliffs of glacialtill, sands, and gravels.[39]
The district also extends to the tidal waters ofMorecambe Bay and several of its estuaries alongside theFurness andCartmel Peninsulas, designated on M6 motorway signposts as the "Lake District Peninsulas", and the southern portions of which lie outside the park. These are theDuddon Estuary, theLeven Estuary, and the western banks and tidal flats of theKent Estuary. These areas are each characterised by sand and mudflats of scenic and wildlife interest. The coast is backed by extensive flats of raised marine deposits left when the relative sea level was higher.[citation needed]
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The Lake District's geology is very complex but well-studied.[40] Agranitebatholith beneath the area is responsible for this upland massif, its relatively low density causing the area to be "buoyed up". The granite can be seen at the surface as the Ennerdale, Skiddaw, Carrock Fell, Eskdale, and Shap granites.
Broadly speaking the area can be divided into three bands, divisions which run southwest to the northeast. Generally speaking, the rocks become younger from the northwest to the southeast. The northwestern band is composed of early to mid-Ordoviciansedimentary rocks, largelymudstones andsiltstones of marine origin. Together they comprise theSkiddaw Group and include the rocks traditionally known as theSkiddaw Slates. Theirfriability generally leads to mountains with relatively smooth slopes such as Skiddaw itself.
The central band is a mix ofvolcanic and sedimentary rocks of mid-to-late Ordovician age comprising thelavas andtuffs of theBorrowdale Volcanic Group, erupted as the formerIapetus Ocean wassubducted beneath what is now the Scottish border during theCaledonian orogeny. The northern central peaks, such as Great Rigg, were produced by considerable lava flows. These lava eruptions were followed by a series ofpyroclastic eruptions which produced a series of calderas, one of which includes present-day Scafell Pike. These pyroclastic rocks give rise to the craggy landscapes typical of the central fells.[40]
The southeastern band comprises the mudstones andwackes of theWindermere Supergroup and which includes (successively) the rocks of the Dent, Stockdale, Tranearth, Coniston, and Kendal groups. These are generally a little less resistant to erosion than the sequence of the rock to the north and underlie much of the lower landscapes around Coniston and Windermere.[citation needed]
Laterintrusions have formed individual outcrops ofigneous rock in each of these groups.Around the edges of these Ordovician and Silurian rocks on the northern, eastern, and southern fringes of the area is a semi-continuous outcrop ofCarboniferous Limestone seen most spectacularly at places likeWhitbarrow Scar andScout Scar.[41][42]
The Lake District's location on the northwest coast of England, coupled with its mountainous geography, makes it the wettest part of England. The UKMet Office reports average annualprecipitation of more than 2,000 mm (80 in), but with considerable local variation.[citation needed]
Although the entire region receives above-average rainfall, there is a wide disparity between the amounts of rainfall in the western and eastern lakes, as the Lake District experiencesrelief rainfall.Seathwaite, Borrowdale is the wettest inhabited place in England with an average of 3,300 mm (130 in) of rain a year,[43] while nearbySprinkling Tarn is even wetter, recording over 5,000 mm (200 in) per year;[44][45] by contrast, Keswick, at the lower end ofBorrowdale, receives 1,470 mm (58 in) every year, andPenrith (just outside the Lake District) only 870 mm (34 in). March to June tend to be the driest months, with October to January the wettest, but at low levels, there is relatively little difference between months.[citation needed]
Although there aregales in the sheltered valleys on only five days a year on average, the Lake District is generally very windy: the coastal areas have 20 days of gales, and the fell tops around 100 days of gales per year. The maritime climate means that the Lake District has relatively moderate temperature variations throughout the year. The mean temperature in the valleys ranges from about 3 °C (37 °F) in January to around 15 °C (59 °F) in July. (By comparison,Moscow, at the same latitude, ranges from −10 to 19 °C (14 to 66 °F).)
The relatively low height of most of the fells means that, while snow is expected during the winter, they can be free of snow at any time of the year. Normally, significant snowfall only occurs between November and April. On average, snow falls onHelvellyn 67 days per year. Snow typically falls on 20 days of the year in the valleys, with a further 200 days with some rain, and 145 completely dry days. Hill fog is common at any time of year, and the fells average only around 2.5 hours of sunshine per day, increasing to around 4.1 hours per day on the coastal plains.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Keswick, Lake District (1991–2020 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) | 7.8 (46.0) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 18.2 (64.8) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.5 (56.3) | 10.0 (50.0) | 7.8 (46.0) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) | 4.8 (40.6) | 6.3 (43.3) | 8.4 (47.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.7 (60.3) | 15.3 (59.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 10.2 (50.4) | 7.1 (44.8) | 4.9 (40.8) | 9.7 (49.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.8 (37.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 11.6 (52.9) | 11.4 (52.5) | 9.4 (48.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 4.2 (39.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | 6.1 (43.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 172.5 (6.79) | 135.4 (5.33) | 114.9 (4.52) | 82.8 (3.26) | 81.6 (3.21) | 89.9 (3.54) | 94.9 (3.74) | 120.2 (4.73) | 124.4 (4.90) | 175.0 (6.89) | 188.6 (7.43) | 195.2 (7.69) | 1,575.4 (62.03) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 16.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 13.5 | 15.2 | 13.5 | 17.0 | 18.2 | 17.8 | 178 |
| Source:UK Met Office[46] | |||||||||||||
The Lake District is home to a great variety of wildlife, because of its varied topography, lakes, and forests. It provides a home for thered squirrel and colonies ofsundew andbutterwort, two of the fewcarnivorous plants native to Britain. The Lake District is a major sanctuary for the red squirrel and has the largest population in England (out of the estimated 140,000 red squirrels in the United Kingdom, compared with about 2.5 milliongrey squirrels).[48]
The Lake District is home to a range of bird species,[49] and theRSPB maintain a reserve in Haweswater.[50] England's last nesting pair ofgolden eagles was found in the Lake District; the female was last seen in 2004[51] and the male was last seen in 2015.[52] Following recolonisation attempts, a pair ofospreys nested in the Lake District for the first time in over 150 years nearBassenthwaite Lake during 2001. Ospreys now frequently migrate north from Africa in the spring to nest in the Lake District, and a total of 23 chicks have fledged in the area since 2001.[53] Another raptor that has had recolonisation attempts is thered kite which, as of 2012, has a population of approximately 90 in the dense forest areas nearGrizedale[54] and successfully bred in 2014, the first breeding success in Cumbria in over 200 years.[55] Conservationists hope the reintroduction will create a large population in the Lake District and inNorth West England where red kite numbers are low.[56] Other bird species resident to the Lake District include thebuzzard,dipper,peregrine andcommon raven.[57] Seasonal birds include thering ouzel and thecommon redstart.[58]
The lakes of the Lake District support three rare and endangered species of fish. Thevendace is found only in Derwent Water and, until 2008, Bassenthwaite Lake.[59] Vendace have struggled in recent years with naturally occurring algae becoming a threat and the lakes gradually getting warmer.[60]Vendace have been moved to higher lakes on a number of occasions to preserve the species, notably in 2005 and 2011.[61][62] The Lakes are also home to two other rare species: theschelly, which lives in Brothers Water, Haweswater, Red Tarn and Ullswater, and theArctic charr, which can be found in Buttermere, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Ennerdale Water, Haweswater, Loweswater, Thirlmere, Wast Water, and Windermere.[citation needed]
In recent years, important changes have been made to fisheries byelaws covering the northwest region of England, to help protect some of the rarest fish species. In 2002, theEnvironment Agency introduced a new fisheries byelaw, banning the use of all freshwater fish as live or dead bait in 14 of the lakes in the Lake District: Bassenthwaite Lake, Brothers Water, Buttermere, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Derwent Water, Ennerdale Water, Haweswater, Loweswater, Red Tarn, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Wast Water, and Windermere. Anglers not complying with the new byelaw can face fines of up to £2,500.[citation needed]
The lakes and waters of the Lake District do not naturally support as many species of fish as other similar habitats in the south of the country and elsewhere in Europe. Some fish that do thrive there are particularly at risk from the introduction of new species. The introduction of non-native fish can lead to the predation of the native fish fauna or competition for food. There is also the risk of disease being introduced, which can further threaten native populations. In some cases, the introduced species can disturb the environment so much that it becomes unsuitable for particular fish. For example, a major problem has been found withruffe. This non-native fish has now been introduced into several lakes in recent years. It is known that ruffe eats the eggs of vendace, which are particularly vulnerable because of their long incubation period. This means that they are susceptible to predators for up to 120 days. The eggs of other fish, for exampleroach, are only at risk for as little as three days.[citation needed]
The Lake District supports a distinctive montanelichen flora, with over 55 species recorded from high-level areas. Whilst less diverse than theScottish Highlands, the region contains several rare species, particularly in areas of base-rich rock. Brown Cove Tarn is of international importance, hosting several species that are rare throughout Europe. The Helvellyn range is particularly significant, with Brown Cove containing the richest lichen assemblages. Key species includeUmbilicaria crustulosa, which was first discovered in Langdale in 1889. The area's lichen communities have been impacted by heavy sheepgrazing since the 14th century, resulting in less extensive mats than those found in the Scottish Highlands. The wet climate, with annual precipitation exceeding 4000mm in central areas, combined withacidic rock and intensive grazing, creates challenging conditions for lichen growth. However, some species persist in sheltered locations, particularly in gullies and on boulders aroundtarns, where they form distinct zonation patterns related to water levels and exposure.[63]
Farming, and in particularsheep farming, has been the major industry in the region sinceRoman times. The breed most closely associated with the area is the toughHerdwick, withRough Fell andSwaledale sheep also common. Sheep farming remains important both for the economy of the region and for preserving the landscape which visitors want to see. Features such asdry stone walls, for example, are there as a result of sheep farming. Some land is also used forsilage anddairy farming.[citation needed]
The area was badly affected by the outbreak offoot-and-mouth disease across the United Kingdom in 2001. The outbreak started inSurrey in February but had spread toCumbria by end of March.[64] Thousands of sheep, including the nativeHerdwicks which graze on the fellsides across the district, were destroyed. In replacing the sheep, one problem to overcome was that many of the lost sheep wereheafed, that is, they knew their part of the unfenced fell and did not stray, with this knowledge being passed between generations. With all the sheep lost at once, this knowledge has to be relearnt and some of the fells have had discreetelectric fences strung across them for a period of five years, to allow the sheep to "re-heaf".[65] At the time of the outbreak, worries existed about the future of certain species of sheep such asRyeland and Herdwick in the district,[66] however these fears have been allayed and sheep now occupy the district in abundance.[67]
Forestry has also assumed greater importance over the last century with the establishment of extensive conifer plantations aroundWhinlatter Pass, inEnnerdale, and atGrizedale Forest among other places. There are extensive plantations of non-native pine trees.[citation needed]
With its wealth of rock types and their abundance in the landscape, mining and quarrying have long been significant activities in the Lake District economy. InNeolithic times, the Lake District was a major source of stoneaxes, examples of which have been found all over Britain. The primary site, on the slopes of the Langdale Pikes, is sometimes described as a "stone axe factory" of theLangdale axe industry. Some of the earlieststone circles in Britain are connected with this industry.[citation needed]
Mining, particularly of copper, lead (often associated with quantities of silver),baryte,graphite, andslate, was historically a major Lakeland industry, mainly from the 16th to 19th centuries. Coppiced woodland was used extensively to providecharcoal for smelting. Some mining still takes place today; for example, slate mining continues at theHonister Mines, at the top ofHonister Pass. Abandoned mine workings can be found on fellsides throughout the district. The locally mined graphite led to the development of thepencil industry, especially aroundKeswick.[citation needed]
In the middle of the 19th century, half the world textile industry'sbobbin supply came from the Lake District area. Over the past century, however, tourism has grown rapidly to become the area's primary source of income.[citation needed]
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Early visitors to the Lake District, who travelled for the education and pleasure of the journey, includeCelia Fiennes, who in 1698 undertook a journey the length of England, including riding throughKendal and overKirkstone Pass intoPatterdale. Her experiences and impressions were published in her bookGreat Journey to Newcastle and Cornwall:
As I walked down at this place I was walled on both sides by those inaccessible high rocky barren hills which hang over one's head in some places and appear very terrible; and from them springs many little currents of water from the sides and clefts which trickle down to some lower part where it runs swiftly over the stones and shelves in the way, which makes a pleasant rush and murmuring noise and like a snowball is increased by each spring trickling down on either side of those hills, and so descends into the bottoms which are a Moorish ground in which in many places the waters stand, and so form some of those Lakes as it did here.[68]
In 1724,Daniel Defoe published the first volume ofA Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain. He commented onWestmorland that it was:
the wildest, most barren and frightful of any that I have passed over in England, or even Wales itself; the west side, which borders on Cumberland, is indeed bounded by a chain of almost unpassable mountains which, in the language of the country, are called fells.
Towards the end of the 18th century, the area was becoming more popular with travellers. This was partly a result of wars inContinental Europe, restricting the possibility of travel there. In 1778Thomas West producedA Guide to the Lakes, which began the era of modern tourism. West listed "stations", viewpoints where tourists could enjoy the best views of the landscape, being encouraged to appreciate the formal qualities of the landscape and to apply aesthetic values. At some of these stations, buildings were erected to help this process. The remains of Claife Station (on the western shoreWindermere belowClaife Heights) can be visited today.[citation needed]
William Wordsworth published hisGuide to the Lakes in 1810, and by 1835 it had reached its fifth edition, now calledA Guide Through the District of the Lakes in the North of England. This book was particularly influential in popularising the region. Wordsworth's favourite valley was Dunnerdale or theDuddon Valley in the southwest of the Lake District.[citation needed]
The railways led to another expansion in tourism. TheKendal and Windermere Railway was the first to penetrate the Lake District, reachingKendal in 1846 andWindermere in 1847. The line toConiston opened in 1848 (although until 1857 this was only linked to the national network by ferries betweenFleetwood and Barrow-in-Furness); the line fromPenrith throughKeswick toCockermouth in 1865; and the line toLakeside at the foot ofWindermere in 1869. The railways, built with traditional industry in mind, brought with them a huge increase in the number of visitors, thus contributing to the growth of the tourism industry. Railway services were supplemented by steamer boats on the major lakes ofUllswater, Windermere,Coniston Water, andDerwent Water.[citation needed]
The growth in tourist numbers continued into the age of the motor car, when railways began to be closed or run down. The formation of theLake District National Park in 1951 recognised the need to protect the Lake District environment from excessive commercial or industrial exploitation, preserving that which visitors come to see, without any restriction on the movement of people into and around the district. TheM6 Motorway helped bring traffic to the Lake District, passing up its eastern flank.[citation needed]
The narrow roads present a challenge for traffic flow, and since the 1960s certain areas have been very congested. This problem continues, with traffic congestion and parking problems in the towns and villages.Bowness-on-Windermere addressed the parking issue with a new car park at the edge of the community and by extending an existing car park.[69] The Lake District NP publishes a list and map of car parks within its area, allowing tourists to plan their visits accordingly.[70]
Whilst the roads and railways provided easier access to the area, many people were drawn to Lakeland by the publication of thePictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells byAlfred Wainwright. First published between 1955 and 1966, these books provided detailed information on 214 fells across the region, with carefully hand-drawn maps and panoramas, and also stories and asides which add to the colour of the area. They are still used by many visitors to the area as guides for walking excursions, with the ultimate goal ofbagging the complete list ofWainwrights. The famous guides were revised byChris Jesty between 2005 and 2009 to reflect changes, mainly in valley access and paths, and are currently being revised by Clive Hutchby, the author of The Wainwright Companion. The first of the revised volumes, Book One: The Eastern Fells, was published in March 2015; the most recent, Book Six: The North Western Fells, was published in April 2019.[71]
Since the early 1960s, the National Park Authority has employed rangers to help cope with increasing tourism and development, the first beingJohn Wyatt, who has since written several guide books. He was joined two years later by a second, and since then the number of rangers has been rising.[citation needed]
The area has also become associated with the writerBeatrix Potter. Several tourists visit to see her family home, with particularly large numbers coming from Japan.[citation needed]
Tourism has now become the park's major industry, with about 12 million[Disagrees with figures in National Park section] visitors each year, mainly from the rest of the UK and from China, Japan, Spain, Germany, and the US.[72] Windermere Lake Steamers are Cumbria's most popular charging tourist attraction, with about 1.35 million paying passengers each year, and the local economy is dependent upon tourists. The negative impact of tourism has been seen, however.Soil erosion, caused by walking, is now a significant problem, with millions of pounds being spent to protect overused paths. In 2006, twotourist information centres in the National Park were closed.[citation needed]
Cycling is now popular in the Lake District National Park.[73] A number of long-distance cycle routes go through the Lake District, including coast to coast cycle routes such as theC2C, Hadrian's Cycleway, the Reivers Route and the Walney to Wear route. Several towns have also become hubs for road-cycling holidays and cycle touring, such asKeswick and Ambleside. Mountain bikers use the trails constructed at Whinlatter Forest[74] and Grizedale Forest and also have wilder routes available on bridleways.[citation needed]
Cultural tourism is becoming an increasingly important part of the wider tourist industry. The Lake District's links with a wealth of artists and writers and its strong history of providing summer theatre performances in the old Blue Box of Century Theatre are strong attractions for visiting tourists. The tradition of theatre is carried on at venues such asTheatre by the Lake in Keswick with its summer season of six plays inrepertoire, Christmas and Easter productions, and the many literature, film, mountaineering, jazz, and creative arts festivals, such as theKendal Mountain Festival and theKeswick Mountain Festival. Two museums, The World of Beatrix Potter andDove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum, are also important aspects of the region.[69]
Excellent mutton and lamb have been produced locally for generations and traditionally formed the basis of the region's many rustic dishes, such as Tatie Pot, a potato-topped mutton casserole. The TraditionalCumberland Sausage is a spiced, unlinked pork sausage withProtected Geographical Status.[75] The Lake District now has a growing reputation for its fine dining[76] although standard pub and café fare continues to dominate. There are 8Michelin Star restaurants within the World Heritage Site boundaries, with three more less than 5 miles outside (L'Enclume, Rogan & Co, and Dog and Gun Inn). Those inside the area are: The Cottage in the Wood, Allium atAskham Hall, Old Stamp House, Forest Side, heft,The Samling, Lake Road Kitchen[77] and SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel, one of the two restaurants at the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House.[78] Cumbria has manymicrobreweries anddistilleries which distribute localales,lagers, and craftgin,vodka, andwhisky to pubs and restaurants throughout the region.[79]
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The Lake District has inspired creativity in many fields.
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The District is intimately associated withEnglish literature of the 18th and 19th centuries.Thomas Gray was the first to bring the region to attention, when he wrote a journal of hisGrand Tour in 1769, but it wasWilliam Wordsworth whose poems were most famous and influential. Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", inspired by the sight ofdaffodils on the shores of Ullswater, remains one of the most famous in the English language. Out of his long life of eighty years, sixty were spent amid its lakes and mountains, first as a schoolboy atHawkshead, and afterward living inGrasmere (1799–1813) andRydal Mount (1813–50). Wordsworth,Coleridge andSouthey became known as theLake Poets.[citation needed]
The poet and his wife are buried in the churchyard of Grasmere; very near to them are the remains ofHartley Coleridge (son of the poetSamuel Taylor Coleridge), who himself lived for many years in Keswick, Ambleside, and Grasmere.Robert Southey, thePoet Laureate and friend of Wordsworth (who would succeed Southey as Laureate in 1843), was a resident of Keswick for forty years (1803–43), and was buried inCrosthwaite churchyard. Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived for some time in Keswick, and also with the Wordsworths at Grasmere.[citation needed]
The Lake District is mentioned inJane Austen'sPride and Prejudice;Elizabeth Bennet looks forward to a holiday there with her aunt and uncle and is "excessively disappointed" upon learning they cannot travel that far.[citation needed]
The opening ofCharlotte Turner Smith's novelEthelinde with its atmospheric description ofGrasmere, complete with a Gothic abbey, is supposed to have introduced Wordsworth to it as a possible place to live.[citation needed]
From 1807 to 1815John Wilson lived at Windermere.Thomas de Quincey spent the greater part of the years 1809 to 1828 at Grasmere, in the first cottage which Wordsworth had inhabited. Ambleside, or its environs, was also the place of residence both ofThomas Arnold, who spent holidays there in the last ten years of his life, and ofHarriet Martineau, who built herself a house there in 1845. At Keswick, Mrs Lynn Linton (wife ofWilliam James Linton) was born in 1822.Brantwood, a house beside Coniston Water, was the home ofJohn Ruskin during the last years of his life. His assistantW. G. Collingwood the author, artist, and antiquarian lived nearby and wroteThorstein of the Mere, set in the Norse period.[citation needed]
In addition to these residents or natives of the Lake District, a variety of other poets and writers made visits to the Lake District or were bound by ties of friendship with those already mentioned above. These includePercy Bysshe Shelley,[80]Sir Walter Scott,[81]Nathaniel Hawthorne,[82]Arthur Hugh Clough,[83]Henry Crabb Robinson,[84]"Conversation" Sharp,Thomas Carlyle,[85]John Keats,[86]Lord Tennyson,[87]Charles Lutwidge Dodgson,[87]Matthew Arnold,[82]Felicia Hemans,[82]Thomas Cooper (poet)[88] andGerald Massey.[89]
Although it is unlikely she ever went there,Letitia Elizabeth Landon produced no fewer than sixteen poems on subjects within the Lake District and its surroundings, all associated with engravings within Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Books, from 1832 to 1838. Also included there (1834) isGrasmere Lake (A Sketch by a Cockney), a skit on becoming a 'lakes poet'.[citation needed]
During the early 20th century, the children's authorBeatrix Potter lived atHill Top Farm; she set many of her famousPeter Rabbit books in the Lake District. Her life was made into abiopic film, starringRenée Zellweger andEwan McGregor. Children's authorArthur Ransome lived in several areas of the Lake District, and set five of hisSwallows and Amazons series of books, published between 1930 and 1947, in a fictionalised Lake District setting. So didGeoffrey Trease with his five Black Banner school stories (1949–56), starting withNo Boats on Bannermere.[citation needed]
The novelistSir Hugh Walpole lived at "Brackenburn" on the lower slopes ofCatbells overlooking Derwent Water from 1924 until he died in 1941. Whilst living at "Brackenburn" he wroteThe Herries Chronicle detailing the history of a fictional Cumbrian family over two centuries. The noted author and poetNorman Nicholson came from the southwest lakes, living and writing aboutMillom in the 20th century.[citation needed]
Writer and authorMelvyn Bragg was brought up in the region and has used it as the setting for some of his work, such as his novelA Time to Dance, which later turned into a television drama.[citation needed]
The Lake District is the setting for the 1977Richard Adams' novelThe Plague Dogs. Adams' knowledge of the area offers the reader a precise view of the natural beauty of the Lake District. The story is based on a fictionalised version of the remote hill farm of Lawson Park, overlooking Coniston Water.[citation needed]
The Lake District has been the setting for crime novels byReginald Hill,Val McDermid andMartin Edwards. The region is also a recurring theme inErnest Hemingway's 1926 novellaThe Torrents of Spring.[citation needed] It is the setting forPrudence, a romantic novel byJilly Cooper.[90] It features prominently inIan McEwan'sAmsterdam, which won the 1998Booker Prize. The 1996Eisner Award winninggraphic novelThe Tale of One Bad Rat, byBryan Talbot, features a young girl's journey to and subsequent stay in the Lake District.[citation needed] Also set in the District is Sophie Jackson's mystery novelThe Woman Died Thrice. It was published in 2016 under Jackson's pen name Evelyn James.[91]
Memoirist and nature writerJames Rebanks has published several books about the Lake District, including two acclaimed books that detail his life as a sheep farmer:The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District (2015) andEnglish Pastoral: An Inheritance (2020).[citation needed]
The Lakes have been an inspiration for many notable artists. Two of the most famous artists to depict the region in their work wereAlfred Heaton Cooper andWilliam Heaton Cooper.[citation needed]
The German artistKurt Schwitters visited the Lake District while in exile in Great Britain and moved there permanently in June 1945, remaining there for the rest of his life.[citation needed]
Film directorKen Russell lived in the Keswick/Borrowdale area from 1975 to 2007[92] and used it in films such asTommy andMahler.[citation needed]
TheKeswick School of Industrial Art at Keswick was started in 1884 byCanon Rawnsley, a friend of John Ruskin.[citation needed]
The base of contemporary art commissioner and residency baseGrizedale Arts since 2007, Lawson Park now hosts artists' residencies, opens to the public on occasion, and has developed a significant garden that includes artworks alongside extensive plantings. Grizedale Arts has produced many internationally significant cultural projects and has proved instrumental in the careers of severalTurner Prize-winning artists, making Laure Provoust's winning installation 'Wantee' at Lawson Park, and bringing the exhibition to Coniston'sRuskin Museum in 2013. It also supported the refurbishment of the historicConiston Institute and developed an Honest Shop there (opening in 2012), an unstaffed shop stocking local crafts and produce.[citation needed]
The English composer SirArthur Somervell (1863 – 1937) was born in Windermere.
The 17th track on American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift's eighth studio album,Folklore, released in 2020 as a bonus track, is titled "The Lakes", and details Swift's experience living in the Lake District. Swift makes reference to the Lake poet William Wordsworth by name.[93]
Several words and phrases are local to the Lake District and are part of theCumbrian dialect, though many are shared by other northern dialects. These include:
the Lake District is becoming one of the best places to eat in Britain
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