Lake District Facts

The Lake District is a beautiful, stunning and popular destination in the UK, below are some interesting and fun facts and figures about the Lake District. Below these are more detailed information.

• The Lake District covers 885 square miles (2290 square km)
• It's the largest national park in the UK
• 8 million visitors a year
• Lake Windermere is the longest lake at over 10 miles long
• Lake Wastwater is the deepest at 74 metres deep (240 ft)
• During heavy rains in late 2009 Lake Windermere rose by over 150cm in a week, thats over 35,000,000,000 litres of water were added by the rains.
• Over 40,000 people live within the Lake District

Useful pages: Lake District Maps | Lake District Walks | Lake District Activities | Lake Windermere

Lake District Information

An admired holiday destination in the UK is the Lake District which is located in the North-West of England, right in Cumbria.  It is well known for its mountains and lakes in the region, one of the other gems in the Lake District is the National Park which is the largest in England and Wales.

A popular reason to visit the National Park is the amount of lakes it has, in total there are 14. Here they are put in order of size in hectares:

It is just a popular place that it receives about 8.3 million people per year, which tells you itself that it is a very special place to visit. The Lake District is important for many discoveries and civilisation such as Mining, there is evidence from as early as the 12th Century of Mining and Quarrying. It was found that Cumbria also has proof that these materials were founded or mined in this area - lead, copper, zinc, baryte, haematite, tungsten, graphite, fluorite and coal.

You will not be bored in the Lake District as there are endless amounts of things to see and do. You can visit the lakes and walk the mountains with breath-taking views. There are a lot of water sports to do such as kayaking, canoeing and sailing. Wild life is another key aspect of the Lake District, one place to take a look at is Muncaster Castle and this has an Owl Centre with over 40 species. An award winning Lake Aquarium has the species from waters all over the world and lakes in the Lake District, you get to walk through an underwater tunnel and take part in an interactive virtual dive bell which has hippos, crocodiles and sharks. With this you can feed them, ask questions and take them back to their skeleton. You can even have guides and tours around the district to see the best parts of the place, these are either walking or scenic bus tours.

If you are thinking of taking a trip to this part of the country then you need to make sure you go places that you want to see. To start, you need to find accommodation there is plenty to choose from whether it is a hotel, camping, bed and breakfast or a nice cosy cottage. There are many different areas in the region to stay in whether it is hotel or bed and breakfast you are looking for. The areas to look at for Cumbria are Coniston & Peninsulas, Kendal & South Lakes, Keswick & West Lakes, Penrith & Eden Valley, Carlisle & North Lakes, Alston & North Pennine and Sedbergh & York Dales. If it is more of a nature experience you are looking for then camping would be more of your style. The main areas for caravans or camping are Windermere, Keswick, Penrith and Eskdale.

Property in the Lake District is an affordable price and you can live right next to the lakes. A 3 bedroom house in Windermere could cost you around £150,000 - £175,000. These prices are not too obscene and for the views and the surroundings it is a great price. There are also houses that are exclusive and ‘Little Gems’ of the Lake District – a 6 bedroom Victorian house built in 1870, it is in a private residential location which looks over the village of Windermere and the lakes. It has 2 self contained letting cottages which both have a garden and parking. This is an ideal home for a large family and plenty of room for entertaining.

Another activity which is great for being on holiday is a souvenir – shopping. There are heaps of shops which you can choose to from. You have the chance to go to farms, tea shops, art galleries, clothing outlets, craft shops, clothing shops, a crystal and glass shop and garden centres. If it is pampering you are after then there are hair and beauty salons to fill you will treats. If a hairstyle is not enough then you can visit a spa to really relax you in either Langdale or Lakeside.

One thing you do need to know is where to eat, Cumbria is also a very keen place in using local produce. In the region there are plenty to choose from pubs, inns, restaurants, coffee and tea shops or even your own cookery classes.  One pub which follows this rule is the George and Dragon, the food is brought in from 20miles outside the village. All of the food is organic, fish is sourced from the lake Eden and local game keepers source their game. Another place which is a must is The Hideaway at Windermere which has recently been awarded its first AA Rosette. It uses simple and British menus with exquisite detail. If you want to learn traditional Cumbrian Dishes then why not try some cookery classes, local places that take part in these are: Cook in Cumbria – Ravenstonedale, Greystoke Cycle Cafe – Greystoke, Renwith, Cumbria on a Plate – Mary Port. These places offer opportunities all year round including Thai Curry, Sugarcraft, Wicked Desserts, Breads from all around the world, autumn cooking, Christmas treats, Summer cooking all with Cumbrian style.

If you want to experience a British holiday in a lovely, stunning area then visit the Lake District.