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Odds n' Ends..! |
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This region runs right up to the Scottish border and holds at its heart one of England's greatest attractions, the Lakes
District, a national park with superb walking and cycling country in every direction. You'll understand why the
landscape painter John Constable described the Lake District as "the finest scenery that ever was". To the west lies
the Cumbrian coastline, with its rocky headlands and sandy estuaries and, to the north, stands Hadrian's Wall...
If you enjoy walks through breathtaking scenery amid charming little towns with literary connections, craggy Cumbria
& The Lake District in England's rugged northwest is for you.
The 6 Regions in the Lake District consist of:
- South & Central Lake District
(Windermere, Coniston, Ambleside, Kendal)
- Western Lakes & Coast
(Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Workington, Silloth)
- Keswick & the Northern Lakes
(Keswick, Bassenthwaite, Derwentwater, Borrowdale)
- Lake District Peninsulas
(Ulverston, Barrow-in-Furness, Grange-over-Sands, Cartmel)
- Eden Valley & North Pennines
(Penrith, Alston, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Ullswater)
- Carlisle, Hadrian's Wall & the Borderlands
(Carlisle, Brampton, and Birdoswald)
Loved by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, the Lake District is now a world famous national park visited by 18 million people a year. While Cumbria is
the centre of a busy tourism industry, it offers as much seclusion as you want. Superlative walking and cycling country lies in every direction, and a brisk walk or cycle
will often take you well away from the crowds, even in summer.
You'll understand why the landscape painter John Constable (1776-1837) described the Lake District as "the finest scenery that ever was". The region is moody and
magnificent. There are 16 great lakes, from the tranquil and secluded waters of Wastwater, Buttermere, Crummock Water and Rydal to better known, (and therefore busier),
Windermere, Derwentwater, Ullswater and Coniston.
This is fell country - fell being a northern English and Scottish word meaning a mountain, hill, or tract of upland moor. The word comes from the Old Norse term
fjall, meaning rock - which indicates where the region's early settlers came from. Norse Vikings settled the area in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. Waterfalls and
fast-flowing ghylls tumble down from the many fells into lakes and wooded valleys. What are ghylls? A ghyll is a narrow stream or rivulet, from the Old Norse
word gil, meaning steep-sided valley.
Wordsworth used the term from time to time:
If from the public way you turn your steps
Up the tumultuous book of Green-head Ghyll,
You will suppose that with an upright path
Your feet must struggle...
Wordsworth is adored in Japan, as are Beatrix Potter (creator of Peter Rabbit) and Robert Southey (author of The Story of the Three Bears).
All three writers are associated with the Lake District, so Japanese tour groups tend to be thick on the ground in summer. In fact, the Lake District
has consistently proved to be even more popular with Japanese tourists than London itself - amazing!
Midsummer weekends are the most congested periods, but even then you can get away and be by yourself - or be with the company you choose.
It just takes a little planning, ingenuity and dedication. Walk or hire a bike and set out into the fabulous countryside. If you arise early,
you'll find the light ethereal and the landscapes devoid of people. If you choose to visit in early spring or in autumn, the Lake District is
full of atmosphere and especially rewarding. The locals are friendly and hospitable. Beatrix Potter, by the way, once described the local accent
as the most musical she had ever heard.
There's more to Cumbria than the Lake District. To the west lies the Cumbrian coastline, with its rocky headlands and sandy estuaries - a
haven for wildlife. To the north stands Hadrian's Wall, Roman Britain's northern defensive boundary against the wild and aggressive Picts and
Scots. To the south you'll find the Lake District Peninsulas, with their resorts and ports, while to the east you can explore the pretty
rivers and rolling green countryside of the Eden Valley.
For more information, please select a region from the list below
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