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THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK

Lake District National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carved from Ice and fire, famous for its stunning scenery, abundant wildlife and cultural heritage!

A truly spectacular place in the North West of England. The Lake District National Park includes all of the central Lake District.

  • 2362 square kilometres

  • 912 square miles

  • 583,747 acres or

  • 236,234 hectares

Width (west to east): 58 km or 36 miles

Width (north to south): 64 km or 40 miles


The area was designated a National Park on 9 May 1951. It retained its original boundaries until 2016 when it was extended by 3% in the direction of the Yorkshire Dales National Park to incorporate areas such as land of high landscape value in the Lune Valley.


The Lake District National Park is the most visited national park in the United Kingdom with approximately 16.4 million visitors per year and more than 24 million day visitor per year. It is the largest National Park out of the thirteen National Parks in England and Wales, and the second largest in the UK after the Cairngorms National Park.


The National Parks aim is to protect the landscape by restricting unwelcome change by industry or commerce. Most of the land in the park is in private ownership, with about 55% registered as agricultural land.


Landowners include

  • Individual farmers and other private landowners, with more than half of the agricultural land farmed by the owners.

  • The National Trust owns around 25% of the total area (including some lakes and land of significant landscape value).

  • The Forestry Commission and other investors in forests and woodland.

  • United Utilities (owns 8%)

  • Lake District National Park Authority (owns 3.9%)

The National Park Authority is based in Kendal. It runs a visitor centre in Windermere at a former country house called Brockhole.


Did you know...


The Lake District has teamed up with local and national governments to access significant funding to address the complex issue of sustainable transport.


Work includes

  • Installing the infrastructure so that travel within the National Parks is purely electric

  • Developing integrated transport strategies that help visitors get the Lake District National Parks in new ways

  • Social and behaviour change thinking that will help people adopt new personal strategies.

This is a golden example of how National Parks can be engines for a green recovery to secure the sustainable wellbeing of the UK.



Important information when planning a visit to the Lake District National Park

  • National Parks were founded in the same post war social reforms that saw the creation of council housing and the NHS. They are free at the point of access and are also the homes and workplaces of millions of UK citizens.

  • Whenever you are visiting the countryside, it’s important to follow the Countryside Code. This helps keep you safe and also protects the wildlife and landscapes that you’re visiting.

  • Make a pledge to yourself before you go to a National Park that when you leave no one will be able to tell you’ve visited. Including biodegradable waste like banana skins.


References


Artwork Langdale Pikes Sam Milward







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