What is the Lake District?
The Lake District is a mountainous region in Cumbria, northwest England, known for its lakes, fells and literary history. It is England's largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The national park was created in 1951 and covers about 2,360 square kilometres. Its landscape was shaped by glaciers during the last ice age, which carved deep valleys that later filled with water.
The area includes Windermere, England's largest natural lake, and Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain at 978 metres. Other popular lakes include Derwentwater, Ullswater and Coniston Water.
Writers and artists
The Lake District inspired poets such as William Wordsworth, who lived at Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount in Grasmere. His poem about daffodils is one of the most famous in English.
Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, lived at Hill Top farm and left much of her land to the National Trust to protect the landscape.
The region is popular for walking, climbing, boating and wild swimming. Towns such as Keswick, Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere are bases for visitors. The Lake District was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2017 for its cultural landscape.