Lake District

Visit the Lake District - view from Green Gable

Lake District

Where is it – England, North West England

Who looks after it –  National Park 

What is it –  Countryside, Free access, National Park, World Heritage Site 

When is it from – All or N/A

The Lake District is one of the jewels in the crown of northwest England. It is England’s only mountainous area, a discrete massif shaped by glaciers in the last ice age to create a radial pattern of valleys and lakes, which has subsequently been further moulded by human activity since prehistoric times.  It is beautiful, in parts deceptively pretty, with a patchwork of drystone walls, heather and bracken hillsides, grim stone and peaks reflected in shimmering water. There are grand houses, cute cottages, busy tourist towns, remote settlements and lots of sheep. The landscape was popularised by members of the Romantic Movement in the 18th century, including Wordsworth, and later championed by Beatrix Potter and the work of the National Trust.

The Lake District is the largest and most visited national park in England. The National Park was established in 1951, covers an area of 900 square miles (2330 sq kilometres) and includes all of the land in England higher than 3000 feet (910 metres). The highest point is Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England at 3208 feet (978 metres) and the third highest mountain in Britain. The Park also includes England’s longest (Windermere), and deepest (Wastwater), lakes. The area is also known as ‘the English Lakes’ and is popular with walkers, cyclists, campers, families and geographers – outdoor enthusiasts of all types, including serious climbers – and overseas visitors. Its popularity can be one of its disadvantages – it can get busy on the main roads and in towns like Bowness, Ambleside and Keswick. The other main disadvantage can be the weather – but, then if it did not rain from time to time, it wouldn’t be the Lake District, would it?

 


Address

Murley Moss Ln, Oxenholme Rd, Kendal LA9 7RL 

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