Celebrating the best bits and bobs to be found while exploring Britain, Ireland and beyond. Much is inspired by real outings, whether they were walking, cycling or photographic in nature, while virtual blundering in the name of planning them has turned up some gems too. Regardless of how they were found, I hope that they keep coming so I can continue to share new things with you.

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Cumbria: Created for the Lake District?

A few months back, I was reading an article in TGO about a Lake District walk that took in the old country tops of Lancashire (Coniston Old Man), Cumberland (Scafell Pike) and Westmorland (Helvellyn). Until more recently, it didn't hit me that the visitor magnet was shared between three counties prior to the 1974 local government reorganisation. What forced that realisation was a look at Cumbria Tourism's website for accommodation ahead of a prospective weekend visit. One look at that might lead you to believe that there is little else there for the visitor when I can vouch that it simply is not the case.

Because it was spread across more than one county, I suppose that a single name was needed and the moniker "Lake District" was apt and, within England, unique. In 1949, the post-war Attlee-led Labour government laid the foundations for the National Park that looks out for the area since its actual inception in 1951. That would have given a countryside studded with fells and lakes a single custodian, possibly for the first time. Saying that, having it all within the same local authority area would be a logical next step, even if a single county council would need to work with a number of district councils.

With such a major piece of wonderful countryside within its boundaries, it would be a mistake to say that Cumbria is the Lake District. Other lesser known areas of wonderful countryside fall within its boundaries too. For one thing, part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park overlaps with it. So, areas formerly with Yorkshire's North Riding now find themselves in Cumbria. The small and pretty village of Dent is but one of these and I reckon that the town of Sedbergh (it's "Sed-berr" apparently, not "Se-berreh") is another. The mention of Sedbergh brings me to the Howgill Fells, good humpy whalebacks that cannot be missed by anyone travelling along the West Coast mainline hereabouts and the M6 too if you're not driving at the time. Then, there's the pleasant Upper Eden Valley and its nearby North Pennine hills like High Cup Nick; it's not for nothing that the Pennine Way comes by these parts, coming southwest to Dufton from Teesdale before heading northwards and northeastwards again.

What lies to the "wrong" side of the M6 may be largely undervisited and very much off the beaten track but that is never to say that the LDNP itself cannot have its quieter spaces. The local traders may be glad of it, and more so right now, but it always seems inexplicable how people spend their time wandering around the towns and villages around there without venturing further afield. The literary appeal of Beatrix Potter, Ruskin, Wordsworth and Coleridge no doubt draws people to associated attractions exploring their respective associations with the area. Then, there are those low lying haunts like Elterwater where you can get in views of wonderful hill country without needing much in the way of ascent at all. For those who are unable to surmount the fells, these places can be a godsend and they easy pickings for those wanting an easier day too but hoards can descend on them too. Lakeland ferries also offer similar facilities for those with vertical disinclinations.

While a spot of height does wonders for making places quieter, there are some heights where solitude can come at a premium. Much has been written about Scafell Pike and its role in Three Peaks events so I have no need to add much to that canon for you to get the picture; the gentle folk of Wasdale (and Borrowdale?) are nonplussed by incursions made by nighttime hoards and Cumbrian mountain rescue teams may have something to add on the subject too. Cat Bells, Fairfield and Helvellyn are other tops where you can expect company but only a short hop away can take you to a haven of peace and quiet. Thankfully, we can be so picky...

Speaking of havens of peace and quiet, there are plenty of those flung away from obvious population centres too. With its easy access and wonderful views, Orrest Head can only attract a good few folk but continuing towards Kentmere and Longsleddale guarantees that the masses are left after you. Patterdale and Mardale share the same advantages and there must be others. Avoiding busy times like school holidays will help too though public transport may not provided as extensively at off peak times of the year.

While I have talking about looking for less trodden and less frequented oases, the huge influx of people does take its toll on the environment. Apart from traffic congestion and other obvious impacts of modern living, there is the impact of erosion too, especially with so many walking on fragile fellsides. Someone has to look after what so many come to enjoy and the National Trust and Fix the Fells certainly play their part when it comes to fixing paths and repairing damage, contentiously in places. However, organisations like them cannot attend to everywhere and times like these may constrain their resources. That's where the National Park authority and the county council come in so it has to be a good thing that there are two organisations within which the area hosting England's deepest lake and highest mountain lies so my hope is that they continue to be good custodians, particularly given that lean times lie ahead.