The Lake District
The Lake District is in the North West of England and lies entirely within the county of Cumbria. All of the land in this area is 3000 feet above sea level and the area also includes Scafell Pike which is one of the highest mountains in England. It is also home to Wastwater which is the deepest lake in England.
The terrain is glacial in origin and the highest mountains have spectacular views. The lakes are elongated and framed by bedrock. There are few trees in the higher areas; only bracken and heather. Some steep slopes have native oak and evergreen trees.
In the North, North West and Western part of the park are hills known as the Fells. These are grassy hills covered with flowers that often roll into rocky lake beds.
.In contemporary times it is one of the most famous vacations spots in all of Britain. This 885 square mile area is populated with forests, lakes and mountains that are home to red deer, red squirrel, peregrine falcons, golden eagles and Artic Charr. The lakes and streams are also home to a very rare species of fish that is only found there called The Vendace.
It is the second largest National Park in the United Kingdom and has been frequented by millions of nature-lovers for centuries. The flora and fauna in the area was also the inspiration for many 19th and 20th century poets including William Wordsworth and a group known as the Lake Poets. These included Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Sothey, John Wilson, Walter Scott, James Payne and Thomas De Quincey.
It is the poet William Wordsworth that is often credited with popularizing the place. In 1810 he wrote a book called A Guide Through the District of the Lakes in the North of England. His favourite valley was Dunnerdale in the south-west region of the park.
One of the ironies of this place is that even though it is so beautiful it is also one of the dampest places in England. It has an annual rainfall of over eighty inches. It is also a very windy area with over 100 days of “gales” a year. The temperature in the winter ranges from 37 F to 59 in July. Heavy fog is common at all times of the year just simply because it is so close to the coast.
The area, first visited by Vikings, has its own slang including “fell” which means a hill, a howe which means a knoll or mound and a tarn which refers to a small pool of water.