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Fun
And Relaxation In The Lake District
The English Lake
District by David J Murray
The
Lake District, in the northwestern corner of England is one of the most
visited areas of the country after the capital, London. In addition to
its outstanding natural beauty it is closely associated with English
literature, especially that of the nineteenth century when writers and
poets such as De Quincey, Coleridge, Southey and, most famously, the
region's own son Wordsworth relished the environment of rivers, lakes and
mountains.
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The Lake District is small
by international standards, around 800 square miles and less than fifty
miles across in any direction, but within it is a striking variety of
scenery. Most of it lies within the boundaries of the Lake District
National Park, and although until 1974 it included areas of three
historic counties (Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire) a major
administrative boundary reform project led to the creation of a new
county, Cumbria, which covers the entire Lakes area and more.
Cumbrian
weather can be unpredictable. If it were not for the rain, of course,
there would not be the scenery that people come to admire. What is
more, when the weather changes the lighting in the mountains, the
reflections from the lakes, the colours of the fellsides, all change
with it, generating a kaleidoscopic beauty.
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All
told there are fifteen major lakes - Windermere, Ullswater and Coniston
Water being the three largest - and also many smaller meres and tarns.
The Lake District is an outdoor person's paradise with an enormous range
of options for walking, climbing, sailing, windsurfing, fishing and much
more. Furthermore in recent decades the variety of indoor attractions has
grown enormously, so that anyone who does not wish to don waterproof
clothing on the damper days still has plenty to do and to see. There are
museums, art galleries, visitor centres (including an excellent national
park centre), literary attractions (relating to Wordsworth, Ruskin and
Potter), as well as historic castles, stately homes and other ancient
properties to tour around.
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Three of the lakes
(Windermere, Coniston and Ullswater) have pleasure steamer services,
and on a hot summer's afternoon it can be delightful to observe the
passing scenery from the deck of a boat.
Access
to the Lake District is easy. The north-south M6 motorway passes its
eastern edge, train services are available from many parts of the
country, including from London.
Kendal,
just inside the southern border of Cumbria is only about one and a half
hours' drive from Manchester International Airport which has a wide
variety of flights from most major countries of the world, including
many daily arrivals from North America.
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Some
years ago the regional tourist board used the slogan, "The most
beautiful corner of England." Almost two hundred years ago William
Wordsworth described the Lake District as, "The loveliest spot that
man has ever known." It lives up to its reputation.
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