The County of Cumbria in the north-west of Britain contains an area called the English Lake District, a beautiful landscape formed by glaciation over millennia, the last period of glaciation being about 15,000 years ago. The glaciers created wide valleys and depressions at the base of the mountains, and these depressions became the lakes that we so admire today. Around the lakes there are native British forests of oak, ash, hazel and other deciduous trees, while higher up the fells (the local word for these mountains) plantations of pine can be found. These are the result of the demand for timber in the 20th century. Nowhere else in Britain is the landscape so dramatic and varied, and arguably nowhere in Britain is the landscape so pleasing to the eye.
But although the Lake District does indeed form a beautiful tourist destination for millions of people every year, it's actually a living and working environment, dependent on farming and tourism for its livelihood.
The north-west part of the Lake District is marked by the spectacular valleys of Buttermere and Borrowdale, with the exciting and dramatic Honister Pass joining them.
The central part of the Lake District has the lowest general elevation in the area, and as a result has both a greater population and the greatest density of accommodation for tourists. This doesn't detract from its grandeur, however, because the focal point of the area is Lake Windermere -- the longest lake in England, and one which is surrounded by both beautiful mountains and spectacular woodlands.
The Eastern area has a massive mountain ridge running right through it: this is the Helvellyn range, notable for its elevation and its spectacular ascent up two narrow ridges called Striding edge and Swirral edge, routes which can deter even the hardiest and bravest walkers.
In the West, Lakeland is bordered by the Irish Sea: many people consider this area less interesting than the hinterland, and perhaps deservedly so, for the mountains of Langdale, only a few miles inland, are amongst the most spectacular in Britain, swooping up steeply from the valley floor and looming imposingly over the farmland thousands of feet below.
In terms of scenery, the least imposing and dramatic is the south-eastern area between Coniston Water and Windermere. That's not to diminish its beauty, for in among the sweeping forests, the green pasture land, and the low hills, there is much to explore and enjoy.
For those interested in statistics, the highest mountain in England (and the Lake District) is Scafell Pike, at 978 m high, with Scafell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, and Great End close behind.
When you visit the Lake District, one of the more peculiar facts that you'll soon be corrected on is that there is only one lake in the whole area - Bassenthwaite Lake. All the other bodies of water known as waters or mere, as in Elter Water and Windermere.
The Lake District has a very mild climate which has made it very popular with visitors. It's certainly true that there is quite a lot of rainfall in some parts of the Lake District (in fact over 200 inches a year at Sprinkling Tarn, which is the wettest place in Britain); but then again, in Penrith, there is only 30 inches of rain every year.
The lakes of the Lake District support three rare and endangered species of fish: the vendace, which can be found only in Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water, the schelly, which lives in Brothers Water, Haweswater, Red Tarn and Ullswater, and the Arctic charr, which can be found in Buttermere, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Ennerdale Water, Haweswater, Loweswater, Thirlmere, Wast Water, and Windermere.
The Lake District has been a place of industry since Neolithic times, when stone axes were manufactured in the Langdale Pikes and distributed all over Britain. Over the centuries, the nature of industry in the Lake District has changed, from local crafts of farming, woodworking, and metal smelting, to farming and tourism, but this evolution has allowed the Lake District to maintain its prosperity.
The development of tourism began as long ago as 1810, when William Wordsworth published a guide to the Lakes. There's been constant expansion of visitor numbers ever since, to the point where 15 million people a year now visit the area.
Happily, controlled development and planning restrictions have maintained the character of the Lakes while allowing sufficient accommodation to develop for all the people who wish to take an overnight stay or rest longer in the Lake District -- which is in fact around 2 million annually at the latest count (the other 13 million visitors being daytrippers).
Perhaps the best thing from the visitor's point of view is the fact that this hotel accommodation ranges across the whole spectrum from five-star luxury spa hotels to cheap and cheerful youth hostels. This guarantees that no matter what your requirements may be, you'll be able to find exactly what you want, at the price you want, any time of the year.
But although the Lake District does indeed form a beautiful tourist destination for millions of people every year, it's actually a living and working environment, dependent on farming and tourism for its livelihood.
The north-west part of the Lake District is marked by the spectacular valleys of Buttermere and Borrowdale, with the exciting and dramatic Honister Pass joining them.
The central part of the Lake District has the lowest general elevation in the area, and as a result has both a greater population and the greatest density of accommodation for tourists. This doesn't detract from its grandeur, however, because the focal point of the area is Lake Windermere -- the longest lake in England, and one which is surrounded by both beautiful mountains and spectacular woodlands.
The Eastern area has a massive mountain ridge running right through it: this is the Helvellyn range, notable for its elevation and its spectacular ascent up two narrow ridges called Striding edge and Swirral edge, routes which can deter even the hardiest and bravest walkers.
In the West, Lakeland is bordered by the Irish Sea: many people consider this area less interesting than the hinterland, and perhaps deservedly so, for the mountains of Langdale, only a few miles inland, are amongst the most spectacular in Britain, swooping up steeply from the valley floor and looming imposingly over the farmland thousands of feet below.
In terms of scenery, the least imposing and dramatic is the south-eastern area between Coniston Water and Windermere. That's not to diminish its beauty, for in among the sweeping forests, the green pasture land, and the low hills, there is much to explore and enjoy.
For those interested in statistics, the highest mountain in England (and the Lake District) is Scafell Pike, at 978 m high, with Scafell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, and Great End close behind.
When you visit the Lake District, one of the more peculiar facts that you'll soon be corrected on is that there is only one lake in the whole area - Bassenthwaite Lake. All the other bodies of water known as waters or mere, as in Elter Water and Windermere.
The Lake District has a very mild climate which has made it very popular with visitors. It's certainly true that there is quite a lot of rainfall in some parts of the Lake District (in fact over 200 inches a year at Sprinkling Tarn, which is the wettest place in Britain); but then again, in Penrith, there is only 30 inches of rain every year.
The lakes of the Lake District support three rare and endangered species of fish: the vendace, which can be found only in Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water, the schelly, which lives in Brothers Water, Haweswater, Red Tarn and Ullswater, and the Arctic charr, which can be found in Buttermere, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Ennerdale Water, Haweswater, Loweswater, Thirlmere, Wast Water, and Windermere.
The Lake District has been a place of industry since Neolithic times, when stone axes were manufactured in the Langdale Pikes and distributed all over Britain. Over the centuries, the nature of industry in the Lake District has changed, from local crafts of farming, woodworking, and metal smelting, to farming and tourism, but this evolution has allowed the Lake District to maintain its prosperity.
The development of tourism began as long ago as 1810, when William Wordsworth published a guide to the Lakes. There's been constant expansion of visitor numbers ever since, to the point where 15 million people a year now visit the area.
Happily, controlled development and planning restrictions have maintained the character of the Lakes while allowing sufficient accommodation to develop for all the people who wish to take an overnight stay or rest longer in the Lake District -- which is in fact around 2 million annually at the latest count (the other 13 million visitors being daytrippers).
Perhaps the best thing from the visitor's point of view is the fact that this hotel accommodation ranges across the whole spectrum from five-star luxury spa hotels to cheap and cheerful youth hostels. This guarantees that no matter what your requirements may be, you'll be able to find exactly what you want, at the price you want, any time of the year.
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Want to find out more about Hotels and Lake District hotel accommodation? Then visit Rod Booth's site on how to choose the best hotel for your needs.
