A friend of mine is currently visiting England’s Lake District, and I’m jealous. I’ve holidayed there several times in the past, but it’s been years since my last trip. Whether you’re familiar with the area or not, here are some fascinating facts you may not know.
Lake District National Park, England’s largest national park, lies in the northwest corner of the country. Compared to our U.S. National Parks, it’s on the small side, only 36 miles (east to west) by 40 miles (north to south). With 583,747 acres, it’s roughly a quarter the size of Yellowstone. Yet this small area is rich with stunning landscapes. From craggy mountain peaks to lush valleys and sparkling lakes, the Lake District offers visitors a bit of heaven on earth.
Key Words
Did you know many of the Lake District names come from tenth-century Norse settlers? These old Norse words add an exotic element to the area.
- The old Norse word for pool is tarn. In the Lake District, tarns usually refer to small lakes found in higher elevations. Mere is another word for a body of water, one that is shallow in relation to its size.
- Many locations in the Lake District have names ending in thwaite. Thwaite is the old Norse word meaning clearing.
- Fells are mountain tops or peaks, becks are streams, dales are valleys, and gills are gorges.
The Geography
It took over two million years to create the Lake District. During that time, glaciers eroded the land, leaving the beautiful valleys and lakes we see today.
DYK in the Lake District you’ll find…
- England’s four highest peaks, Scafell Pike, Scafell, Helvellyn, and Skiddaw. (All are over 3,000 feet.)
- More than 200 fells.
- Only one lake. (Other than Bassenthwaite Lake, all bodies of water are waters, meres, or tarns.)
- Windermere, the largest natural lake in England. (It’s almost eleven miles long, one mile wide, 220 feet deep, and holds over 79 billion gallons of water.)
- Wastewater, England’s deepest lake at 243 feet.
- 26 miles of coastline and estuaries.
- England’s wettest place. (The town of Seathwaite receives more than 6.5 feet of rain each year.)
- More than 1,343 miles of footpaths. (Lake District National Park was made for walking.)
The Inhabitants
The Lake District is in the county of Cumbria, where there are six times more sheep than people.
- DYK only about 45 people per square mile live in the Lake District?
- DYK the grey-colored Herdwick breed of sheep, which thrives in the area’s extreme weather conditions, was supposedly brought to the area by the Vikings?
- DYK the Lake District is also home to some of the rarest wildlife in Britain, including British Red Squirrels, red deer, Peregrine falcons, barn owls, Natterjack toads, and Britain’s only nesting pairs of Golden Eagles and Ospreys?
Most Visited
The beauty of the area is just one reason the Lake District is the most visited National Park in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).
Still not convinced to visit? Read next week’s Did You Know? to learn there’s more to the area than just beautiful scenery . . . like pencils, pudding, and poets . . . as well as Romans, rabbits, and zombies.