Features
Here we've bravely faced the murky depths of several lakes to find out more about their names and mythology. We've also had a nose around some Lakeland industries and wandered with the Lake Poets.
Lake Lore and Legends
Lakes have always been seen as mysterious places, hiding strange secrets beneath their placid surfaces. For our prehistoric ancestors, they were gateways to the world of the gods. Lakes were later seen as dwelling places of supernatural creatures, such as the monstrous Water Hag in ''Beowulf'', or the Lady of the Lake in the tales of King Arthur.
Names of the Lakes
There are 13 bodies of water in the Lake District that are usually considered to be lakes, as opposed to tarns. Size isn’t everything, as the largest of the tarns is bigger than the smallest of the lakes. Then again, only one lake actually has the word “Lake” in its name... So where did they get their names?
Lake Industries
The Lake District, inspiration for generations of poets with its breathtakingly beautiful scenery and natural features, isn’t primarily regarded as a hub of British industry. However, the region’s natural resources have spawned a diverse range of activities, many of which still thrive today.
The Lake Poets
Essayist Thomas de Quincey spent part of the 1830s writing his "Recollections Of The Lake Poets", a remarkable memoir-study of a group of English Romantic poets who spent time in the Lake District, and whose writing was influenced by the landscape that surrounded them. Among them were Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Poet-Laureate-to-be Robert Southey. But the man most readily identified with that label today is William Wordsworth.
Ten Things…
From a micro-brewery to Beatrix Potter, how many of these facts about the Lake District have you heard before?
