The Lake District
|
Lake Windermere and Waterhead Bay in
Ambleside, Lake District National park. |
The Lake District of Cumbria
lies between the Scottish borders and Northumberland, Durham, North
Yorkshire and Lancashire. The beautiful landscapes of mountains, valleys,
fells and lakes have appealed to visitors for centuries. In the Victorian
era it became very popular as a holiday spot, and it remains so today.
Its status as a national park ensures the careful management of its
varied environment.
The high ground of the central
area is wonderful hiking territory, with valleys, lakes and ridges
radiating from it in all directions. Lake Windermere is the largest lake
in England, and Bowness-on-Windermere caters for the huge number of
visitors it receives. If the town is too busy for your taste, you can
always take a boat out onto the lake and enjoy the views. The least
visited and also the deepest lake is Wast Water. Surrounded by high peaks
such as Scafell Pike and wild mountain scenery, it is harder to reach
than any of the others.
Keswick is situated in the north
of the Lake District, beside Derwentwater, and is an important center for
walking and climbing. The Cumbria Way, a trail of almost 113 km (70
miles), is accessible from here. Keswick was particularly popular with
the Victorians, and the museum holds original manuscripts by Wordsworth,
Ruskin and others, while the art gallery displays works by Turner and
Wilson Steer. Wordsworth lived at Rydal Mount, near Ambleside, for 37
years, and just below the house is Dora's Field, named after his daughter
and planted with daffodils in her memory.
