The Lake District National Park

(a national park in the EU)

Where is the Lake District?

What attractions does the landscape have to offer?

The Lake District is located in the north – west of England and is the largest National

Park with an area over 2000km2. It is easy to access because the M6 motorway runs along

the eastern edge of the park. It is within 2 hours drive of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. There is also a main train line

running to Kendal.

• Dramatic landscapes with high mountains such as Scafell Pike and Helvellyn and deep valleys with large lakes such as Windermere and Ullswater.

• There are also attractive villages such as Ambleside which has tea shops and craft shops. These can turn into ‘Honey Pot’ sites which attract a lot of people. • The varied landscape attracts a range of people; hikers, climbers, geologists,

naturalists, mountain bikers, canoeists, water skiers etc

What conflicts exist between users of the Lake District

There has been a big increase in house prices in villages due to many outsiders buying holiday

homes. This has made it very

difficult for locals to buy homes.

Walkers drop litter, damage dry stone walls, trample on crops, leave gates open and disturb sheep and cattle

which angers farmers.

On the lakes such as Windermere there is conflict

between the different users such as speed boats, jet

skiers and fisherman and

divers who come for peace and

quiet.

There is concern about the erosion

caused to bridleways and

footpaths by mountain bikers and the danger

they can cause to other people when

riding at speed.

How can these conflicts be

managed and the landscape be protected?

The Lake District is managed by the

National Park Authority (LDNPA) who try to resolve conflicts between different users.

The LDNPA have very strict planning

regulations and rules if a new

development are planned.

Housing has been made more

affordable for local people through a

scheme in which a range of housing

from starter homes to retirement flats have to be built at affordable prices.

The LDNPA are also trying to restrict the amount of

people who can buy holiday homes.

The LDNPA helps farmers to rebuild

dry stone walls and maintain footpaths through their land. They put up clear signs to try and keep walkers on

footpaths and help to reduce the

impact of them through educating

visitors about responsible use of the countryside.

10 mph speed limit on Lake Windermere and also restrictions on mountain bikers using some footpaths.