The Lake District is picturesque, historic, and popular around the globe, so we thought we’d answer the five most Googled questions asked about the area in one place
From Keswick to Coniston, Windermere to Hawkshead, and everywhere in between, the Lake District is beloved by millions for its fells and, as the name suggests, its lakes.
As a result, there are lots of people out there who want to find out more about the place.
So, for those wanting to learn more, we have created a ‘cheat sheet’ for you.
We typed in the beginning of the question ‘Why is the Lake District…’ on the search engine Google and answered the top five results at time of writing below.
Well, for starters, in Cumbria, hills are not called hills, they are called fells – this is because of the area’s rich Viking heritage.
According to Google, the reason for the Lake District being so hilly – or felly, but it’s true, that does not have the same ring to it – is because of millions of years’ worth of geological processes.
These, in simple form, included continents colliding 500 million years ago to form the mountains of today, followed by lots of volcanic activity, and glaciers from the last Ice Age eroding and carving the area’s current peaks.
The Lake District became a National Park on May 9, 1951, becoming one of the nation’s first National Parks – it is now one of 15 across the United Kingdom.
In short, the Lake District became a National Park because of its natural beauty, its wildlife, and its culture, which all need protecting.
The English Lake District also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
Primarily, it is so rainy in the Lake District because large amounts of moisture is picked up by prevailing westerly winds that cross the Atlantic Ocean, and when the air hits the fells of the area, the air rises, cools, and condenses to form rain.
Phew… that was quite a short one.
Well, weirdly, according to Google, the Lake District only has one lake that is technically a lake: Bassenthwaite Lake.
However, it is common knowledge that the Lake District gets its name from the 16 major bodies of water that categorise the area – they are just meres, waters, or tarns.
Windermere is the largest lake in the district, and the country for that matter, but it is technically a mere, not a lake.
The Lake District is a popular tourist destination because people love its ‘spectacular scenery, wildlife, history and culture,’ according to the national park’s official website.
Furthermore, it is also England’s largest National Park, and it has a host of outdoor activities that people can pursue.
Whilst, culturally, it was for a time the home of poet William Wordsworth and author and illustrator Beatrix Potter too.
Read more on The Westmorland Gazette
