El Lake District es un enorme parque nacional situado en el noroeste de Inglaterra. El paisaje se caracteriza por lagos, montañas y pintorescos pueblos rurales que inspiraron a los poetas románticos del siglo XIX.
Since the early 19th century, the Lake District has had a very special relevance for English culture. For Romantic poets, especially William Wordsworth, John Keats and Percy Shelley, untamed nature was a source of inspiration with almost divine healing powers, and this beautiful region in Cumbria in North West England offered an epic English landscape of magnificent mountains and expansive lakes. Wordsworth is particularly associated with the area, making his home in Grasmere village, and then in the nearby town of Ambleside. Today, people travel from all over the world to experience the Lake District’s vast, epic beauty.
HISTORY
Human settlement began in the Lake District some five thousand years ago. Celts, Romans, Angles, and Vikings settled here. The Romans left evidence of their presence in the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall, that once crossed England, and 2nd century forts such as Hardknott, a Roman headquarters building and bath house. There are also many 7th century Anglican and 9th century Viking crosses around the region. The Vikings are also credited with introducing the local Herdwick sheep, which are born black and then turn white.
THE FORCE OF WATER
There are sixteen lakes that give the Lake District its name, although most are called ‘waters’ or ‘meres’. There are also many smaller mountain lakes called ‘tarns’. The largest lake is Windermere in the south of the region. To its west, discover picturesque Tarn Hows, a lake that formed when the Victorians built a dam. To the northeast, Ullswater lake is a scenic option for lakeside walking. The Ullswater Way is a twenty-mile route around the Lake. Aira Force is nearby, this is one of the region’s most famous waterfalls.
HIKE UP THE PIKE
For really serious hikers Scafell Pike, in the heart of the region, is an adventure. At 978 metres it is England’s highest mountain. It is one of the mountains surrounding Wastwater. From the summit you can enjoy spectacular views and on clear days see over to the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea!
PEPPERMINT AND PENCILS
There are many lovely towns in the Lake District. Kendal is a large town to the south. The ruins of a medieval castle lie to the east and it is the home of a famous chocolate bar with a peppermint centre called Kendal mint cake. Another town, Keswick is in the north of the region and is notable for being the home of the Derwent Pencil Museum, which documents the history of pencils! Nearby, the Castlerigg Stone Circle dates to the Neolithic era, and Keswick’s Derwentwater lake is home to Theatre by the Lake, a theatre venue in the summer, and that hosts festivals such as a film festival in February, the Words by the Water literature festival in March, and a jazz and blues festival in May.
DOVES AND RABBITS
Grasmere village in the heart of the Lake District is famous for its cute cottages, shops, pubs and cafes. It is the location of Dove Cottage, the home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy between 1799 and 1808, which is now a popular museum. The village is also famous for Grasmere Gingerbread, invented by Victorian cook Sarah Nelson. This is a unique spicy sweet biscuit that has become very popular around the world. The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop still exists here and also sells its own award-winning rum butter and sticky toffee. Another famous literary figure also lived in the region. Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, was a children’s author and illustrator, who lived at Hill Top, a lovely 17th-century house-turned-museum in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead.
GLOSSARY
untamed: salvaje
healing powers: poderes curativos
expansive: vastos
settlement: asentamiento
once: en su día
forts: fortines
headquarters: cuartel general
to credite: atribuir
dam: presa
lakeside walking: paseos junto al lago
waterfalls: cascadas
to hike: hacer senderismo
pike: pico
peppermint: menta
to lie: encontrarse
to date back: remontarse
venue: sede
doves: palomas
cute: encantadoras
gingerbread: pan de jengibre
spicy: especiado
sticky: pegajoso