Glaciated upland area used for tourism: Cumbria

• The Lake District is a region and national park in Cumbria in northwest England covering an area of 912 sq mi.
• The Lake District is a popular holiday destination, known for its glacial ribbon lakes, rugged fell mountains and historic literary associations (Beatrix Potter etc.).
• Attractions for tourists in the Lake District include boating, fishing and hiking along the shores of ribbon lakes such as Derwent Water and Windermere, which attract over 1 million visitors a year.
• Mountain landscapes in the Lake District offer opportunities for hiking and climbing, including Striding Edge.
• Gorge scrambling, abseiling and off road driving adventure activities are also popular in the Lake District.
• Small towns such as Keswick are popular attractions in the Lake District.
• The Lake District faces social impacts including pressure on roads/facilities, congestion on roads (89% tourists by road), and local people being unable to afford to buy houses due to the high number of secondary homes (15%).
• The economic impact of tourism in the Lake District includes employment in tourism boosting family incomes and providing money for the local economy through the multiplier effect.
• Tourists spend over £1000 million each year in hotels etc. in the Lake District.
• Environmental impacts of tourism in the Lake District include pollution from car fumes and litter, and footpath erosion due to 4 million visitors walking 6km a year.
• Management strategies for the Lake District include traffic calming in villages, identifying settlements as transport hubs with co-ordinated facilities such as car parks, bus stops, footpaths and cycleways, and encouraging public transport with special bus routes serving hikers and cyclists.
• Volunteer groups such as ‘Fix the Fells’ work with local landowners to repair footpaths using local stone.
• Improved signage is encouraging people to stay on footpaths.
• Re-planting of native plants which can withstand trampling is underway in the Lake District.