Lake District Secrets!

Walk the fells is based on the Lake District area, encompassing the Fells, Villages, History and the magnificent walks that can be done when staying or just visiting this area of England. We aim to bring you all the information you could want in order to experience fellwalking in the form of guidance, maps, pictures and some history, to help you decide which fell walks to do and where to base yourself, so let us know if there is something particular which we could help you with.

Lake District - Worth a visit?

The Lake District is only 885 square miles or 2292 square kilometres and can be found in the South-Western corner of Cumbria, which is one of the largest counties in the North-West of England. The area is full of valleys, also known as dales, surrounded by majestic mountains, also referred to as fells. These are rugged, awe-inspiring sights which amaze people time after time. We would say that the fells always tease and challenge visitors to the extent that they long to climb to the peaks of these ranges just to get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring views, in fact some strive to get to the top of all 214 mountains.

The lakes found nestled between these rugged ice formed mountains, totals 18 if you are to include the man-made Tarn Hows. The lakes have varying depths and dimensions that all have their own uniqueness and splendour, mind you, all are deep enough to drown in, so be careful. There are also over 2000 tarns and pools to be found hidden along the footpaths that attract walkers, due to their isolated nature. Bear in mind that the tarns and pools can change year by year due to weather conditions and other such environmental changes.

Lastly there are over 400 towns and villages throughout the Lake District, so you would never fall short of finding a new place to explore each visit, alternatively you can choose a village like Grasmere, which is centrally located in the Lakes and could be your base for many walks that originate outwards from this village. Most villages and towns are very picturesque and have a wonderful tale to tell, but more on this later.

Lake District defined!

The Lake District area is defined by Caldbeck and Cockermouth in the North, Ravenglass in the West, Kendal and Ulverston in the South, and Shap in the East. The Lake District with its fells is ideal for exploring by many means, but the most extensive would be by foot, due to the vastness of the area, and the thousands of footpaths and rights of ways. It truly is a serene and relaxing prospect for anyone wanting to relax and unwind, although some of the walks can be really challenging, all are achievable. Fell walking in the Lake District is one of England’s best loved walking areas.

Lake District's worldwide recognition was achieved through some of the best poets from the 19th Century, such as Wordsworth, Shelley and Coleridge, inspiring them to create masterpieces of poetry. The English language allowed poets to share with the world, great poetry and beauty; as such the Lake District is sometimes referred to as the “Heart of the English Language”.

The Lake District is also well known for its Slate mining and has been stated that it was first started during the Roman era, in the Honister area, although it was not a well refined process nor such a large scale operation like nowadays. Throughout the Lake District and even outside of Cumbria, you will be able to see walls, walkways, pathways, houses and structures all made from slate found and mined in the Lakes; in fact even roofs are made from slate. Originally slate would be transported by packhorse or sled down scree slopes to the more distinguishable pathways, and can be found in open quarries or underground mines. Wool, graphite, lead, iron and copper was also mined, and at one point in time had the second largest shipping port.

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