From Wikitravel

Lake District National Park is in the north west of England in the county of Cumbria. It is the largest National Park in the country (occupying 885 sq. miles) and is considered one of its most scenic regions and England's premier destination for hiking and climbing.

[edit] 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.
• Hawkshead, village to the north of Esthwaite 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.
• Eskdale Green - western side of the lakes.
• Bowness-on-Windermere - at the middle of Windermere (lake).

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] 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)

[edit] Fells

Hills or mountains in the Lake District are known by the local name of Fells. The Lakeland Fells are England's only true mountain range and though not high by world standards (ie none being much over 3000 feet or 1000 metres) they nevertheless offer a huge number of challenging and rewarding hillwalks. All can be walked (as opposed to "climbed" with ropes etc) and due to the long tradition of recreational walking here there is an exceptional network of paths and routes. Additionally there is free access to virtually all areas above the "intake wall" (ie the last wall as you climb out of the valley).

According to the most respected authority (guidebook author A. Wainwright) there are 214 Fells, most of which offer a number of routes, plus many opportunities to ridge-walk between the fells.

The highest is Scafell Pike (pronounced "Score-fell"). This "highest" designation leads to a lot of traffic, and visitors who want to experience a high Lakeland Fell may want to choose another. Some of the slightly smaller fells are in fact much more rewarding to climb as well as offering better views. Great Gable and Helvellyn are popular choices. Less well-known hills include Grisedale Pike, Fairfield, and Bowfell.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 exist. In particular there are different words for numbers. However foreign people speaking straightforward english will not have a problem making themselves understood.

[edit] Get in

[edit] 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. The Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line also links the lakes to Yorkshire.

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

[edit] By car

M6 motorway and enter the park via either the A590 from Junction 36 for the South Lakes, or the A66 at Penrith from Junction 40 for the North Lakes. Alternatively the A65 from Leeds connects to the A590 at Junction 36.

[edit] By air

The closest airport to the Lake District is at Blackpool, served by Ryanair from London. Newcastle and Durham Tees valley airports are about a 2 hour drive away; and Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool and Manchester are all within about 3 hours driving.

[edit] 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.

This also applies to getting around by car, with journey times being extended due to the slow winding roads. Bringing your own car to the lakes is the most popular option, but motorists may encounter hefty parking fees/restrictions in large towns, or even at the base of popular hill walking routes.

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

[edit][add listing] See

The National Park features an extensive network of footpaths throughout the valleys and on the fells (the local term for mountains), allowing excellent access.

See also: Hikes in the Lake District

[edit][add listing] Do

• Lakes District Outdoors information
• Go walking. Most visitors spend their time walking on the Fells or by the Lakes. The park has over two hundred fells, all of which are open to visitors. Maps (available in most shops locally) show the huge network of footpaths which both cross the fells and run through the valleys. The district is mapped on four sheets by the Ordnance Survey - NW, NE, SW, SE. Additionally there are a large number of guidebooks available locally which suggest walks. See also the Itinerary Hikes in the Lake District.
• Boat trips can be taken on many of the lakes, including Windermere, Ullswater, Coniston and Derwentwater.

• Ullswater Steamer. Stops at Glenridding, Howtown, and Pooley Bridge.[1] edit

• Keswick Launch offers both clockwise and anticlockwise circuits of Derwentwater.[2]
• Windermere Lake Cruises [3]

• The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway [4] is a small narrow-gauge steam railway, connecting the mainline station of Ravenglass on the coast to Boot station in the Eskdale valley.
• The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway [5] is a tourist steam railway at the foot of Lake Windermere.
• Walk the Coast To Coast Walk.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Traditional pubs tend to be more prevalent than restaurants in this region, and most of them will serve traditional english food at lunch and dinner time. With so much sheep farming in the hills of the lake district, roast lamb is a favourite local dish. Cumberland sausage is a speciality throughout Cumbria, and locally-caught Borrowdale trout is also popular.

• The Drunken Duck Inn, [6]. Brews its own beer and serves outstanding food all year round. Highly recommended. See Good Pub Guide for confirmation.
• The Watermill at Ings, [7]. 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.
• The Woolpack Inn, Eskdale, [8]. Home of HardKnott brewery and also serves some interesting innovative cuisine.

[edit][add listing] Drink

This region presents many opportunities to drink a traditional english ale in a traditional english pub. This can be a very satisfying way to replace lost calaries after a long day walking in the hills.

Pubs in remote areas can develop a suprisingly lively scene in the evenings, if they are popular with mountaineers. Otherwise you will need to head in to larger towns if you are looking for night life.

The best thing about Cumbria is the staggering number of breweries - around 25 to date.

A selection of country pubs are:

• The Three Shires Inn, in Little Langdale
• The Swinside, in the Newlands Valley
• The Mill Inn, in the hamlet of Mungrisdale
• The Bridge Hotel, in Buttermere village
• The Fish Hotel, in Buttermere village
• The Salutation, in Threlkeld
• The Swan, at Thornthwaite
• The Britannia, in Elterwater
• The Old Dungeon Ghyll, in Great Langdale
• The New Dungeon Ghyll, in Great Langdale
• The Riverside Bar of the Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite

[edit][add listing] Sleep

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.

[edit] Stay safe

The mountains of the Lake District are by no means the largest or most extreme mountains of the world, but they can still present a serious threat to safety for walkers, and underestimating them can be fatal. Be sure to follow sensible safety precautions while walking. Clearly other outdoor sports have different risks associated with them.

[edit] Get out

From the Lake District, the natural extended itineraries would take you either north, through Carlisle into Scotland, or south towards the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool. Alternatively, for those interested in touring more of England's parks, the Yorkshire Dales are just east of the Lake District.

This is a usable article. It has information about the region and for getting in, as well as links to a few destinations. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!