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Exploring the beautiful Thirlmere formerly known as Wythburn, with an impressive 10 mile walk around its large reservoir and wonderful walks along the shoreline, fells and forest it’s definitely worth a visit. Helvellyn at its eastern edge and Skiddaw and Blencathra to the north and Dunmail Raise to the south. We believe their is a famous cairn at the summit of Dunmail Raise said to be the burial place of King Dunmail, the last monarch of the medieval kingdom of Cumbria, dating to around 945AD. Photograph Credit Rohan Gravs

The Lake District has been named the most dog-friendly place in the United Kingdom, and dogs aren’t just welcome here they’re loved. With so many great places to walk your four legged friends we thought we would share a few of our favourites. Grizedale Forest Grizedale Forest Park - set in the heart of the Lake District, is a wonderful place to walk your four-legged friend. There are 8 different marked routes to enjoy; ranging from a suitable for all 1 miler through to the Silurian Way, a strenuous 5hr walk. Grizedale is most famous for its many sculptures that can be found dotted throughout the forest. Routes Cartmel Fell This circular route is just over 3 miles long, enjoy the open hillside, woodland and two endearing tarns. Routes Derwentwater A trip to the Lake District would not be complete without walking the circumference of the region’s most picturesque lake. Routes Ullswater The lake is the second largest body of water in the Lake District, and some say the most scenic. Routes Scout Scar Enjoy one of the best views across the entire southern lakes, Scout Scar offers an incredible panorama views. There is a popular circular walk (1.5 miles). For those that want to head a little further afield the walk can be easily extended. Routes If you have your own favourites we would love to hear about them, share your adventures with us for the chance to be featured on our website. Please remember much of the land in the Lake District is used for grazing and farming, so when walking in open spaces please be aware of livestock and that dogs need to kept under control. Photography Pet Photography | Cumbria | Florence De Orellana Pet Photography | England (florence-deorellana-pet-photography.co.uk)

Dramatic Hodge close it was a green slate quarry in the Tilberthwaite Valley, near Langdale. First quarried in the 19th century right up until the 1960s. Hodge close quarry is known as an extreme diving location for serious divers the quarry has a maximum depth of about 32m with visibility up to about 10m. There is a tunnel entrance at about 24m which leads to three chambers and two interconnecting tunnels. A couple of miles north of Coniston, you can park for free at GR 315017 on OS map OL7. * Walkers and divers please read the warning signs and note the roped off areas around Hodge Close - due to sudden vertical drops and loose rocks. Please ensure the safety of yourself and visit at your own risk.

"Oh, by gosh, by golly, It's time for mistletoe and holly, tasty pheasants, Christmas presents, countryside's covered with snow"... It’s that time of year when we are getting ready to have a "Merry little Christmas" good old Frank Sinatra's words couldn't be truer this year! "Hopefully we will all be together" and "Next year hopefully all our troubles will be miles away." Let's hope so! This year has been incredibly hard for us all. As I am sure many of you are starting to think about Christmas shopping this year - why not consider shopping locally. We enjoy nothing more than buying from our incredible selection of independent businesses, local artisans, butchers, bakers, farm shops and green grocers. It's not just an ethical choice, you will often find that items made locally aren't available elsewhere so you can find unique and precious gifts. To help you we have put together a small selection of what the Lake District has to offer and hopefully it will inspire you to spend your money with those who’ll appreciate it most. Bous Candles and Home Fragrance Hand made in Cumbria each scent is developed in house using carefully selected essential oils to take you on a journey. To see the full range of candles, incense, smudge sticks, wax melts and reed diffusers. visit the online shop at Bous Life here. Feather & Wild Following a desire to create, Feather & Wild has grown organically from a tiny seed into a flourishing creative business, and continues to grow steadily in the direction of creating not only a place to source original art & gifts but one of community too. Victoria has perfect gifts and cards available online including this beautiful Mistletoe Greeting Card with a hand drawn sprig of Mistletoe and the wording “Season’s Kisses”. Visit Feather & Wild here. Childs & Co Beautifully crafted products individually made by Iain Childs. His studio and workshop is based on the edge of the beautiful Lake District. He specialises in wood furniture projects from modern children’s furniture through to beautiful solid wood furniture and custom projects. You can visit his online store here or make an appointment to see him at his studio. We love the beautiful solid Oak shelf featuring the profile across Crinkle Crag, Bow Fell, Scafell Pike and Great Gable. What a wonderful gift for someone special. Cable & Blake Cable and Blake design, create and sell locally produced Herdwick fabrics, that have been inspired by the surrounding Lakeland landscape. They have collaborated with a number of local producers to create a range of delightful products which can be purchased from their shop in Kendal or by visiting their online shop here. Herdwick A range of beautifully designed Herdwick Tweed bags, caps and cushions designed and made in The Lake District. With a purpose to make practical and desirable, quality products with traceability of raw materials why wouldn't you want to buy from them. They buy directly from four local farmers: Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey Yew Tree Farm, Coniston Townhead Farm, Grasmere Tilberthwaite Farm, Coniston Have Three Natural Shades: Hogg fleece-1st shearing. Darkest brown. Twinter and young ewes: 2nd-4th shearing. True Grey Mature ewe fleece: 5th shearing. Light grey/pale white Use Two Weavers: Slaithwaite, Yorkshire Sedbergh, Cumbria. One Quality: Worsted pure Herdwick tweed made with traditional skill by Northern folk. Shop online here. Perkins & Morley Jill Perkins and Jan Morley, have been a designing duo since 1987. With a shared passions for art, design, travel and nature led them to travel led them to develop their own brand. Starting with The Cheeky Otter which went on to form part of their best-selling range of greetings cards and giftware, loved by customers all over the globe. Now, with ranges such as Zigzag and Pulp, Animal Ink, and their new Wilder and Wild Wood ranges, they are delighted that their customers continue to enjoy their quirky sense of humour and love of wildlife and nature. Both drawing upon their own inspirations and experiences from around the globe it is the UK that inspires them the most. Jan is often walking the stunning valleys and fells of Cumbria with a camera and drawing equipment, while Jill sketches and paints in Devon, surrounded by beautiful coastlines and countryside. Take a look at their online shop full of wonderful gifts for family and friends this Christmas here. Bath House Bath House an artistic collaboration, created from humble beginnings. The kitchen cooker was their lab, the table their design studio. They experimented with the world of fragrance and explored ways in which to harness the gentle healing power of natural ingredients. Now with with two shops in the Lake District they are a firm favourite of many thankfully they also have an online shop so even in lockdowns we can still shop. Shop Bath House online here. With so much to chose from here in the Lake District I am sure you can find the perfect gifts this Christmas. We have only mentioned a small selection here so please visit our Artisan, Eat & Drink and Shop Pages to see more fabulous ideas. We love to share with you so don't forget to sign up to our newsletter for the latest news from the Lake District.

Always offering amazing views, and different perspectives in different seasons, Rydal Water has something for everyone with its various walks and places to visit. The waterside route on the southern side of the lake offers breaktaking views of the fells around you and Rydal water. With options to walk up to the caves or walk on to the Coffin Route on the northern side. With so much to see - River Rothay, rushing becks, pretty waterfalls, woodland trails, Rydal Hall with its cafe and pretty gardens you won’t be disappointed. You can also start your walk from White Moss and follow a footpath south through woodland and along the River Rothay to the eastern tip of Grasmere. The path then climbs east towards Loughrigg Terrace before descending to the lakeside path. Eventually the path takes you through woodland and across the Rothay before climbing towards Rydal Hall. Whilst in Rydal why not visit Rydal Mount ? Once the home of the Lakes own William Wordsworth, the English romantic poet whose poetry is synonymous with the region. Indeed you too might ‘Wander lonely as a Cloud’... but without doubt filled with awe.

Brant Fell a short walk from Bowness-on-Windermere. It reaches 629 feet (192 m). Wainwright's route leaves Bowness along the path called the Dales Way. Map Photograph Credit @benjgravs

5 Steps to consider the landscape for your elopement/wedding photography 15.8 million visitors to The Lake District every year! While my very existence as an elopement and wedding photographer encourages visitors to this region, I try to treat the landscape with the respect it deserves, and ensure those I bring along do too. Sadly, there is no governing body for how to treat the wilderness, it’s continued beauty relies on those who seek to enjoy it. When we fail to respect the nature we exploit, we become a parasite, and we run the risk of these beautiful places becoming a shadow of their former glory. Restrictions will be imposed and permit requirements will increase. Here’s 5 simple ways you can ensure your Elopement is as considerate to the landscape as possible (though these apply to all outdoor activities.) 1. Stick to the path as much as possible! While it’s impossible to stay on a path 100% of the time, making a conscious effort to do so will go a long way. Where you can’t stay on a path, or there simply isn’t one, teach yourself - and your group - which terrain can handle footfall. YES - Stony, sandy and gravel surfaces are the safest to minimise your impact. SOME - Wet grass and swamp areas should be avoided where possible, but where this can’t be avoided spread yourselves out to reduce the concentration, and make a special effort to use any large rocks that may be available to you. NEVER - Walk over areas of moss, vegetation, wildflowers and other fragile plants. 2. Take your litter with you... …and anything else you find along the way. This one should really go without saying, particularly regarding your typical snack wrappers and tissues. But as people try new ways to create exciting images for their clients, we face new materials finding their way outside, and being left there. When planning that champagne spray, sparkler shot or smoke bomb moment, remember you need to ensure you’re coming back with everything you take. While none of these activities are particularly harmful to the environment, they aren’t completely harmless either - and therein lies the problem. When these activities are carried out repeatedly, and others see a trend they want to copy, the number of instances of these things happening increases, resulting in a ‘little harm’ a lot of the time. So with that being said, encourage your couples to really think about why they want a ‘sparkler shot’. What does it mean to them? Is it just for the trend and ‘the look’? If it is, talk to them about alternative options that don’t impact the environment… ones that won’t leave you having to hold tiny hot metal rods until they cool or scrambling around looking for a popped cork. Trust me, on a windy day that's not easy! 3. Use nature’s backdrop While on the topic of asking your couples what Pinterest requests are absolutely necessary, have a conversation about any decor they might be planning. I find nature’s backdrop to be all you need for any elopement ceremony. But in this modern world where anything seems possible and our feeds are flooded with styled shoots, we can’t blame our couples for having grand plans. If your couple love the idea of an arch, suggest finding a natural arch in a woodland. Perhaps they want an abundance of floral arrangements? Take them to a meadow! They might have a simple request of some wooden beams to say ‘I do’ in front of, but any decor beyond what you can carry yourselves on foot, has a much larger impact. The car or van access to transport the structure, the way it is secured into or on the ground. Overall, a habit of bringing foreign materials into an environment, even temporarily, should be avoided. Just because we CAN take something somewhere, doesn’t me we SHOULD. 4. Tag Responsibly This can be a touchy subject and it really depends who you ask. There's a variety of opinions out there and I'll let you make your own mind up but consider this: You’ve found an amazing location, perhaps you’ve spent hours scouting the area to find it, perhaps it holds a special memory as you used to visit as a kid? Either way, you’ve picked this place for a reason and much of that reason is because it’s beautiful (and requires no vans bringing random decor). It’s wild, it’s quiet, and the natural flora and fauna are in abundance. The pictures you take here are epic. You share them online, and you tag the exact location. In the future you go back to enjoy it, fences have been erected, the grass verges have been trampled to mud and there’s rubbish strewn around. I recommend when tagging, unless you’re tagging a landmark or well known area, to tag a general area instead of the specific location. Leave a little mystery, let people explore themselves. It’s the best way to enjoy the area after all. 5. Understand your direct impact... While I'm not going to try and tell you how to run your business, I am going to heavily encourage you not to settle into a ‘comfort zone’. Often as an elopement photographer you find yourself doubling up as the planner/tour guide. You bring people to special locations you’ve found - as mentioned above - and this becomes a special place you now share with your couple. Each couple you share ‘your place’ with will in turn, bring their own family and friends. They will quite understandably want to share the magical elopement location you took them to. When this is just one couple with one family, the impact is negligible. But If you’ve created a conveyor belt of elopement clients and you’ve taken them all to the same locations, that’s a lot more footfall in a place they wouldn’t usually have known about. That is your direct impact! You want your business to succeed, I get it, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of the landscape. TLDR Summary 1. Stick to the path as much as possible! 2. Take your litter with you…and anything else you find. 3. Use the backdrop nature provides. 4. Tag locations responsibly. 5. Understand your impact and change up your locations. Thanks for reading and good luck on your journey! Eriinbrowne Photography Eriinbrowne Website eriinbrowne Instagram Intimate Weddings & Elopements (@eriinbrowne) • Instagram photos and videos

“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage Sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located”. UNESCO What is a World Heritage Site ? UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. The English Lake District World Heritage Site The Lake District National Park as defined by the 1951 boundary. Is the UK’s 31st World Heritage Site and its largest. It covers 221,000 ha, has a population of 41,000 and 23,000 homes. It has 42,026 ha of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), 14,000 ha in County Wildlife Sites, 8,000 ha in Regionally Important Geological Sites, over 10,000 ha of ancient semi-natural woodland, 16,500 archaeological sites including 333 scheduled monuments, 2,200km of footpaths and 121,000 ha of open access land. Why is the Lake District a World Heritage Site ? There are three intertwining and interdependent themes that reflect UNESCO’s criteria for inscription and attributes of OUV. They are: Identity a landscape of exceptional beauty, shaped by persistent and distinctive agro-pastoral traditions and local industry which give the Lake District a special character. Inspiration a landscape which has inspired artistic and literary movements and generated ideas about landscapes that have had global influence and left their physical mark. Conservation it is a landscape which has been the catalyst for key developments in the national and international protection of landscapes. The documentation submitted to UNESCO to support the Lake District’s bid for World Heritage Site status has a wealth of in-depth detail on each of the 13 valleys and what each valley’s OUVs are. Go to http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/projects/whs/lake-district-nomination to dive deeper into the English Lake District’s World Heritage Site stories. Reference Frequently asked questions about the Lake District World Heritage Site status bid. (lakesworldheritage.co.uk) World Heritage knowledge (lakesworldheritage.co.uk) Photography Jason Chambers Lake District Photographer - JC Photography (photolakedistrict.co.uk)

Lake District Life work with designers, craftsmen, boutique hotels, travel industries, bloggers, vloggers the list goes on... if your business is within the travel and lifestyle industry or home and garden industry and you are located within Cumbria you can request to join us and be part of our collection. All you need to do is send an application via our website or contact us. We will then be in touch its really as easy as that. Once you have joined us your business will be promoted to our audience on all of our platforms. Including all of our social networking groups, websites, and blogs. We would love to help people find your business that's why we have made it free to join for a (limited time only) please contact us if you have any questions we would be happy to help.

Stunningly beautiful and instantly accessible, it’s easy to see why for many, Lake Buttermere and its mountains is the jewel in the crown. The lake offers excellent fishing and boating ( no motors ) - its circumference makes an ideal walk averaging 2-3 hours. The mountains standing guard in the Buttermere Valley offer more stimulating walks and include Haystacks - favourite mountain of Alfred Wainright, famed Lakes guidebook writer. Other popular mountains for challenging walking and excellent climbing includes ‘Buttermere Round’ (Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag) alongside Fleetwith Pike and Rannerdale Knotts. Altogether, the valley with its perfect lake and mountains will certainly delight. Download a simple map from the National Trust Here

If you're thinking of tackling Striding Edge for the first time you can take a look at Luke's film below. This was the first trip Luke took to the Lake District in 2020. In fact it was also the first mountain he ever climbed.! His film gives you a really good insight into the hike. Helvellyn: 3,118 feet (950 meters) Time: 4 hours 45 mins Difficulty: Moderate - challenging depending on chosen route. Helvellyn is England’s third highest mountain and one of the most spectacular mountaineering routes as well as being one of the most popular fells with walkers visiting the Lake District. The Striding Edge route to Helvellyn summit is certainly one of the most challenging and busiest. The summit of Helvellyn is a broad plateau about 500 metres long. The highest point is marked by a cairn and a cross-shaped dry stone shelter. Striding Edge is a popular route which involves some scrambling, linking the summit ridge of Birkhouse Moor to Helvellyn's summit by what becomes a sharp arête. Helvellyn is strongly associated with the poet William Wordsworth, who used to climb the mountain regularly and also wrote about the mountain several times. In particular he commemorated the death of Charles Gough, a tourist in the Lake District who set out to cross Striding Edge to reach the peak of Helvellyn. Who sadly slipped and perished with his dog. His dog stood at his side for three months before his corpse was found. A memorial stone to Gough was erected on Helvellyn in 1890 and quotes part of William Wordsworth's poem "Fidelity". The flat summit also made the first British mountain-top landing of a plane possible, when John Leeming and Bert Hinkler successfully landed and took off again in 1926. "Striding Edge is the finest ridge there is in Lakeland, for walkers - it's traverse is always an exhilarating adventure in fair weather or foul, and it can be made easy or difficult according to choice” A Wainwright Thank you Luke for sharing your first hike in the Lake District! To see more of Luke's work please find the links below. Website www.creationsbyluke.co.uk Follow Creations by Luke on Instagram Here Follow his YouTube Channel Here

The Lake District is magical playground for us as well as our children, with its spellbinding landscape, mystical woodlands, incredible mountains, and shimmering waters. There are so many magical places in the Lake District to capture the imagination of little ones and give them a great day out. We have chosen a few of our favourite's below, hopefully they will allow you create your own adventures and make magical memories that will last a lifetime. 1. In Borrowdale Valley, near Keswick you will find the Bowder Stone, it's 30 feet high and has a ladder to climb to the top! The Bowder Stone balances on one edge in a seemingly "gravity-defying" way. Children will love the 2000 ton, approximately eighteen thousand year old Borrowdale stone. It is just a short walk from the National Trust car park on the Keswick to Borrowdale road. 2. Hire a boat and get out on the water at Windermere or Ambleside. Why not head out to Wray Castle with its turrets, towers and adventure play area in the woods. Climb, scramble, explore the grounds and be king or queen of the tree-castle! Let us know if you can find the spider high in the tree above his web! 3. Feel the wind in your hair at one of Cumbria's beach's. St Bees stretches out below the dramatic headland of St Bees Head. It is the only Heritage Coast between Scotland and Wales. It's mile long sand and pebble beach with a promenade and visitor facilities makes it popular for families. Look to the North and you will see the towering red sandstone cliffs. Don't forget to take your kite! 4. Discover wildlife at Arnside and Silverdale. It is the perfect habitat for species that wouldn’t exist anywhere else in the U.K. Look out for one of the 32 different species of butterflies in the summer months. At Arnside Knott there are some great old yew trees which you can climb. Why not make a den in Red Hills Wood or find one of the dens that have already been made. With so much to do in this beautiful coastal location make sure to pack a picnic! Thank you to Megan, her children Max and Wren for the dreamy pictures. Taken in and around the Lake District. To see more of Megan's photography, slow outdoor lifestyle and adorable children you can visit her page on Instagram Click Here

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. Find out more Green Recovery // National Park Sustainability 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 Lake District National Park - Wikipedia Lake District facts and figures : Lake District National Park The Countryside Code - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Green Recovery // National Park Sustainability

Another favourite of ours is Little Langdale. We had a beautiful walk here today along side the old quarry and caves. Always stunning no matter what the weather is like. Slater’s Bridge is a delightful 17th Century packhorse bridge spanning the River Brathay, it is a handmade stone bridge that Miners would cross to work in the nearby slate mines such as Cathedral Quarry. Well worth a visit and even better a long weekend or break we have some lovely suggestions for holiday let’s in this area on our website including Hacket Forge!

Former Michelin starred chef’s Kevin Tickle is set to launch a series of unique monthly dining experiences throughout 2021 at his new venture Heft, Newton-in-Cartmel. You may well have heard by now that Kevin and his wife Nicola collected the keys to an historic 17th century Inn, in Newton-in-Cartmel in late summer 2020. Anyway, ever since they’ve been hard at work behind the scenes getting Heft ready, the builders are in and the programme of refurbishment is well underway and happily they are pretty close to finishing the renovation of the historic building, which when it opens will be transformed into a stylish Inn with Rooms. In the meantime, they’ve got in touch with some of their industry friends to put together an exclusive series of chefs’ dinners and intimate lunchtime producer masterclasses, which will start in the summer. Tickets for Heft’s exclusive guest the chefs’ dinners and producer lunchtime masterclasses can be found at www.kickstarter.com/profile/heft * Places are strictly limited to meet government social distancing guidelines. Chefs Dinners and Producer Lunchtime Masterclasses 14 th June - Steven Smith - Freemasons, Wiswell 23 rd June - Cheesemaker Martin Gott - St James’s Cheese & New Market Dairy (inc lunch) 05 th July - Lisa Goodwin-Allen - Northcote, Langho 02 nd August - Renowned Lakes Brewer Matt Clarke (paired beers with dinner) 11 th August - Artisan baker Aidan Monks - Lovingly Artisan Bakery (inc lunch) 06 th September - Alex Bond - Alchemilla, Nottingham 18 th October Michael Wignall - The Angel at Hetton, Skipton 08 th November - Renowned Lakes Brewer Matt Clarke (paired beers with dinner) 29 th November - Adam Reid - The French, Manchester 06 th December - Mark Birchall - Moor Hall, Aughton To book an experience please visit www.kickstarter.com/profile/heft To find out more about Heft, High Newton visit Home - Heft - Kevin Tickle (hefthighnewton.co.uk) Or email info@hefthighnewton.co.uk I N N + R E S T A U R A N T (@heft_high_newton) • Instagram photos and videos For press enquiries please contact Greg Stephenson at Gundog PR email info@gundogpr.co.uk Phone 07825511896