The Lake District (and things to do in the lakes)

The Lake District is famous for its incredible natural beauty - and of course, lakes. Technically it only has one lake: Bassenthwaite Lake, all the others are either known as Mere, Tarn or Water. A Tarn is Norse for a small lake or pool, mere means water and water means lake.

It is also famous for its important role in the invention of the pencil in the mid 1500s. To learn more about this take a look at The Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick.

Lake Lake District in the North West of England in a county known as Cumbria. It is easily accessible on the M6 motorway or the The Great West Cost Mainline by train. Its geology is quite diverse, if you want to find out more here is a good starting point.

It is the home of William Wordsworth, the famous poet of Daffodils and others and Beatrix Potter famous for the children’s book, Peter Rabbit. Author Arthur Ransome was very much taken in by The Lakes when he was at school in Windermere. He later went on to write the very famous book Swallows and Amazons. More recently he was discovered to have been a double agent! Alfred Wainwrigth fell in love with the area in the 1930s and went on to produce some of the most well-known and popular walking and pictorial guides for the area.

For hundreds of years it has been a popular place to visit for those who could afford to do so. The catalyst that really got the tourism going in The Lakes was the railways. Like many areas they made once small and disconnected communities, thriving hot spots of industry and travel. The Lake District was no exception and the rail companies were quick to cash in on people’s desire to visit Cumberland. The Keswick Hotel and the Ullswater Steamers are but a few of their ventures into tourism in Cumbria.

Since many of the railways have gone in the area, the Lake District is still a very popular tourist attraction all over the world, with many now travelling by car or bus.

If you’re visiting Castle Carrock, make sure you visit the Lake District, its right on our door step and a truly stunning place to go.

For some guides on walks in The Lakes, check out this guide.

Recommended places to visit in The Lake District:

Photo by Andrew Hayward.