The story of Lakeland
For many, it is the classic view of the Lake District: a narrow road winding through Great Langdale’s glacial valley, white-painted cottages with slate roofs and sheep grazing in beck-side fields. Ahead, the soft blue outline of Crinkle Crags; to the right, the craggy peaks of the Langdale Pikes. John Ruskin described this valley as “the loveliest rock scenery, chased with silver waterfalls, that I ever set foot or heart upon”.
The Lake District is a landscape formed by geology, altered by human occupation, and Great Langdale is a microcosm of this multi-layered history. High up above the precipitous scree slopes of Pike O’Stickle is a Neolithic stone axe factory where greenstone, a hard volcanic rock, was quarried. In a field close to the road is an example of prehistoric rock art. Concentric rings and cup marks are carved across the face of a huge boulder, one of a pair known to climbers as the Langdale Boulders. Romans and Norse settlers, have all left their mark on Great and Little Langdale. A high road links the two and runs past the beautiful mountain pool known as Blea Tarn, which Wordsworth described in The Excursion; the Romantic poets were the catalyst for Lake District tourism. Nowadays, the Langdale valleys are busy with visitors and walkers, there are campsites surrounded by dramatic scenery and the Sticklebarn is a hydropowered pub using modern technology to harness the water tumbling down the hillside.
“Romans and Norse settlers, agriculture, mining and quarrying have all left their mark”
this cave entrance on the Pike of Stickle leads to a Neolithic axe factory where greenstone was quarried 
A Neolithic wood-andstone axe discovered at Ehenside Tarn in Cumbria 
hardy Lake District sheep survive on mountainous terrain, here pictured near Kendal; 
A slim road runs between drystone walls in Great Langdale valley as the Langdale Pikes tower above;
CRAFTING THE LAND
For the wider Lake District, it’s the same story, one of a landscape shaped by human hands down the millennia. Stand at the centre of Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick and you are encircled by Blencathra, Helvellyn and Skiddaw, the mountain backdrop making it a favourite view for artists and photographers. Three Neolithic stone axes from Langdale were discovered here.
In the 5,000 years since the stones of Castlerigg were first heaved into position, there have been successive waves of settlement across the Lake District. The Romans governed the area by building forts. These were connected by a network of roads; the fell named High Street is crossed by one such route where you can still see the kerb stones and culverts. Another led between the well-preserved forts of Galava at Ambleside and Mediobogdum at Hardknott Pass. Bath houses, barracks and granaries give a glimpse into Roman lives, and Hadrian’s Wall meets the sea at Bowness-on-Solway to the north of the Lake District.
The Vikings also left their mark, enduring in Lake District place names familiar to walkers. ‘Fell’ is a mountain with grazing; ‘thwaite’ a clearing in the woods; ‘gill’ a ravine and ‘force’ a waterfall. Also from the Norse comes ‘herdwyck’ for sheep pasture, giving its name to the hardy native breed of sheep that feed on the fells. Hefted to a particular farm, they inherit from their mothers a life-long knowledge of where they should be grazing. It is these traditional methods of hill farming and the centuries-old drystone walls criss-crossing the tough terrain that give such character to the landscape.
Overlooking the River Esk, Muncaster Castle – first built 800 years ago – is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in England 
The dramatic ruined grandeur of Furness Abbey, once a wealthy and powerful Cistercian monastery, near Barrow-In-Furness
Once covered in dense forests, land was cleared over time to extract its natural resources and to provide grazing for sheep. In the Middle Ages, there were 12 abbeys and priories in a ring around the central fells, with much of their wealth coming from wool production. Some of the great monastic churches, such as St Bees and Cartmel, are now parish churches. Others lie in ruins, Shap Abbey having been dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540, as was the impressive Furness Abbey, built in warm-red sandstone in the 12th century. Its romantic grandeur later inspired both Wordsworth and Turner.
Tower houses and defensive pele towers were built during these unsettled times when the north was known as the ‘Debatable Land’ and Border reivers fought and pillaged throughout the uncertain area between Scotland and England. The many layered history of the Lake District is exemplified by Muncaster Castle. Built, it’s believed, on a Roman site, it includes a 14th-century pele and was remodelled by Anthony Salvin in the 19th century. Owned by the Pennington family for 800 years, there are Victorian gardens full of shrubs and perennials from the Himalayas, a maze and a Hawk and Owl Centre. A visit can be combined with a trip on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway, enjoying spectacular views from the train.
Farming influenced today’s landscape, but so did mining and quarrying. Iron smelting needed a continuous supply of charcoal and this came from coppicing broad-leaved trees. In old woodlands, you can still trace the disused tracks and rubble walls of charcoal-burners’ huts. Mining left great scars on the landscape – some now softened by greenery, such as Myers Head lead mine at the southern end of Ullswater. The remains of Coniston Copper Mines look dramatic – the spoil heaps, leats, dressing floors and mine entrances filling a valley on the flank of the Old Man of Coniston.
The Old Man of Coniston rises above Coppermines Valley and the remains of the 400-year-old copper industry, which closed in 1914 
Now abandoned, Hodge Close Quarry extracted green slate from the 19th century to the 1960s, creating a steep, water-filled chasm popular with climbers and divers
“There is a thrilling eeriness to the flooded workings of the slate quarry”
SHAPED BY THE LANDSCAPE
Much of the character of Lake District buildings comes from the use of slate stone for walls and green slate for roofs. Westmoreland green slate has been extracted from Honister Slate Mine since the 1700s. Guided underground tours lead through narrow tunnels and cathedral-like caverns alongside more modern adventures, such as climbing in the mine or following the old miner’s path on the dizzying via ferrata.
There is also a thrilling eeriness to the flooded workings of the slate quarry of Hodge Close in Tilberthwaite valley. Climbers abseil down the rock face of this massive sheer-sided 45-metre-deep hole, and divers explore the murky waters. The land around, strewn with piles of slate and large spoil heaps, is gradually being colonised by ferns and lichens, birch and ash trees. And graphite, mined since the days of Queen Elizabeth I, supplied the raw materials for pencils, its fascinating history told in the Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick.
LYRICAL INSPIRATION
This geology not only provided the raw materials for industry. The epic grandeur of the mountains enthralled the Romantic poets of the late 18th and 19th centuries: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Wordsworth’s Guide through the District of the Lakes of 1810 described the scenery “for the Use of Tourists and Residents” and began the influx of visitors to the area.
John Ruskin, artist, polymath, critic and friend of the Pre-Raphaelites, made his home at Brantwood on the east shore of Coniston Water, where he laid out beautiful gardens. Enhancing a natural woodland of native plants and cascading streams, he added fern collections, cottage plants and herbs. The best way to arrive is by water on the steam yacht Gondola, visit the house with his Photo:s Getty, Alamy drawings and watercolours and take tea on the terrace with its views across the lake to the Old Man of Coniston.
“The epic grandeur of the mountains enthralled the Romantic poets”
As the area became fashionable, wealthy industrialists from Manchester built large summer houses with lake views. Influenced by the local architecture, the Arts and Crafts house of Blackwell, above Windermere, incorporates a wide range of crafts, such as glowing stained-glass windows, carved wood panelling and motifs drawn from nature. Brockhole, with its landscaped gardens and views also over Windermere, is now the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre.
Many writers have found inspiration in the Lake District. Arthur Ransome learnt to sail on Coniston Water; Swallows and Amazons tells of the children’s adventures, of the lakes and islands and of meeting charcoal burners in the woods. Places that have hardly changed can be spotted in Beatrix Potter’s delightful illustrations. The Tower Bank Arms at Near Sawry still has its clock set above the green-painted porch and stepping into her house at Hill Top is uncannily like walking into the story books.
When she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter left the house and its contents to the National Trust, as well as 1,600 hectares of land and 14 farms (see page 96). A conservationist and expert breeder of Herdwick sheep, she had been a close friend of Canon Rawnsley, one of the founders of the National Trust, and wanted to leave the land to the nation. The trust now owns 20% of the Lake District National Park and the area became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2017. World Heritage Sites are designated according to their global significance and the Lake District is a cultural landscape shaped by nature and human activity. Learning about its history reveals more of this extraordinary and breathtakingly beautiful place.
PACKHORSE BRIDGES
These seemingly ancient stone structures spanning the water are a familiar feature of the Lake District landscape.
Most were built between 1650 and 1750, when horses were the only means of transporting goods and raw materials, such as slate and iron ore, around the area. Packhorse bridges are narrow, with a simple arch, and low parapet walling.
Notable examples include the bridges at Wasdale and Watendlath, Slater Bridge at Little Langdale and Monks Bridge on the River Calder at Cold Fell.
The horses used were probably ancestors of fell ponies, a rugged breed that may still be seen grazing upland pastures, for example at Roundthwaite Common north of Kendal.
Susie White is a writer, naturalist and photographer living in Northumberland, just an hour away from her favourite walks in the Lake District. A lifelong gardener, for nine years she led tours around Lakeland gardens.
NOW GO TO THE LAKE DISTRICT
Where to stay, visit, eat and drink by Susie White
EAT
Zeffirelli’s, Ambleside
Zeffirelli’s has been deservedly popular for over 40 years, winning many awards with its inspired vegetarian menu, delicious home-baked pizzas and daytime café. Its famous cinema held the premiere of the 1987 classic Withnail and I. zeffirellis.com
Dalemain
After visiting the historic house and gardens of Dalemain, you can take afternoon tea in the medieval tearoom where delicious scones are served with marmalade. Dalemain is home to the annual World’s Original Marmalade Awards, which takes place this year on 14 May. dalemain.com
Askham Hall
Askham Hall is the medieval home of the Lowthers, now a restaurant with rooms, some overlooking the terraced garden. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves seasonal food and uses harvest from the kitchen gardens. askhamhall.co.uk
STAY
Brantwood, Coniston Water
The Eyrie is a self-catering apartment in John Ruskin’s Brantwood. Its sittingroom window seat has an incredible view over Coniston Water and the fells. brantwood.org.uk/the-eyrie
Yewfield, Hawkshead
Yewfield offers bed and vegetarian breakfast in a large country house set in 32 hectares of lovely gardens and grounds. There are yoga retreats as well as concerts. yewfield.co.uk
The Punch Bowl, Crosthwaite
The Punch Bowl is an inn and restaurant with a blend of old charm and modern luxury. Of its nine rooms, Noble has ancient oak beams and twin roll-top baths. the-punchbowl.co.uk
HOUSES AND GARDENS
1 Levens Hall, Kendal 
2. Hutton in the Forest, Penrith 
3. Lowther Castle Penrith
1 Levens Hall, Kendal
A few miles south of the Lake District National Park is the world’s oldest topiary garden, dating to the 1690s. Ancient box and yew trees have evolved into spectacular quirky shapes. The Elizabethan house is built around the original 13th-century pele tower. levenshall.co.uk
2 Hutton in the Forest, Penrith
The flower-filled walled garden, terraces and topiary lie around a 600-year-old house. Walk through the wildflower meadow to the pond. Summer events include Potfest in the Park, with ceramics exhibitors. hutton-in-the-forest.co.uk
3 Lowther Castle, Penrith
After 50 years in the wilderness, Lowther’s gardens have been reimagined by designer Dan Pearson. The Garden-in-the-Ruins romantically fills the vast ruined castle; there is bold perennial planting in the parterre and a new rose garden. lowthercastle.org
CUMBRIAN COMPOST
The Lake District largely looks the way it does because of grazing sheep but the ever-increasing bracken cover is a problem. Developed on a traditional hill farm in a small valley in the Lake District, Dalefoot Composts blends potash-rich bracken with Herdwick sheep’s wool for water retention and slow-release nitrogen. You can buy the composts in garden centres and know you are helping to maintain the Lake District’s beautiful landscapes. dalefootcomposts.co.uk
THREE PLACES TO VISIT
Townend Farm, Troutbeck
This 17th-century yeoman’s house, white-painted with round chimneys in the local vernacular, gives insight into life 400 years ago. Find fine examples of wood-carved furniture, a library and quirky domestic tools. nationaltrust.org.uk/townend
Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Finsthwaite
This working mill produced millions of bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving trade. Watch production from tree to bobbin using original belt-driven machinery. english-heritage.org.uk
The Armitt Museum and Gallery, Ambleside
Discover the history of the town and the Lake District. In 1934, Beatrix Potter bequeathed many of her watercolours and drawings of fungi, mosses and fossils to the museum. armitt.com
HISTORY
Kendal Museum
Founded in 1796, Kendal Museum is a great place to explore the natural history and archaeology of the Lake District. The Kendal & Westmorland Gallery takes you on a unique journey through the history of the region, from Neolithic to Roman times and right up to the 20th century. kendalmuseum.org.uk
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle
This extensive museum has a large collection of Roman artifacts as well as rare medieval pieces, including everyday items such as shoes and leather and wood tools. The Prehistory Collection has material from the polished stone-axe factory in Langdale. tulliehouse.co.uk
My Lady of the Lake
Launched in 1877, My Lady of the Lake is believed to be the oldest working passenger boat in the UK. She is one of five boats in service as the Ullswater Steamers fleet. You can take a cruise to one of the pier stops and walk back along a lakeside path. ullswater-steamers.co.uk
Historic travel
Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway runs through the picturesque Leven Valley at the south end of Windermere. Steam trains haul on the steep railway and you can visit the shed where the locomotives are kept. lakesiderailway.co.uk