# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Lake District is a region of spectacular countryside in Cumbria, in the northwest of England. It covers 885 square miles (2,292 square kilometers) and contains many lakes...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lake District National Park area

The Lake District National Park is England's largest and covers:

2362 square kilometres

912 square miles

583,747 acres or

236,234 hectares

Width (west to east): 58 km or 36 miles

Width (north to south): 64 km or 40 miles

Find out about the land ownership in the Lake District.

Ten highest mountains

1. Scafell Pike at 978 metres (3210 feet)

2. Scafell at 964 metres (3162 feet)

3. Helvellyn at 950 metres (3114 feet)

4. Skiddaw at 931 metres(3053 feet)

5. Great End at 910 metres (2986 feet)

6. Bowfell at 902 metres (2940 feet)

7. Great Gable at 899 metres (2960 feet)

8. Pillar at 892 metres (2926 feet)

9. Nethermost Pike at 891 metres (2923 feet)

10. Catstycam (2917 feet)

There are at least 200 fell tops. The writer Alfred Wainwright wrote about 214. Check out the List of Wainwrights (opens in new window)

Sixteen largest lakes

1. Windermere - 14.8 square kilometres

2. Ullswater - 8.9 square kilometres

3. Derwentwater - 5.5 square kilometres

4. Bassenthwaite Lake - 5.3 square kilometres

5. Coniston Water - 4.0 square kilometres

6. Haweswater - 3.9 square kilometres

7. Thirlmere - 3.3 square kilometres

8. Ennerdale Water - 3 square kilometres

9. Wastwater - 2.9 square kilometres

10. Crummock Water - 2.5 square kilometres

11. Esthwaite Water - 1 square kilometre

12. Buttermere - 0.9 square kilometres

13. Grasmere - 0.6 square kilometres

14. Loweswater - 0.6 square kilometres

15. Rydal Water - 0.3 square kilometres

16. Brotherswater - 0.2 square kilometres

Tarns

Tarn comes from the Old Norse word for 'pool'. It usually refers to a small mountain lake or pool. However as some tarns are larger than lakes, it's not an exact science! Here are some of the larger ones:

Blea Tarn

Little Langdale Tarn

Overwater Tarn

Stickle Tarn

Tarn Hows

Watendlath Tarn

Yew Tree Tarn

Facts about lakes and coastline

The deepest lake in England is Wastwater at 74 metres (243 feet)

England's longest lake is Windermere which is 10.5 miles long

There is only one official lake - Bassenthwaite Lake. All the others are 'meres' or 'waters'

The National Park includes 26 miles of coastline and estuaries

In the heavy rains of November 2009, Windermere lake rose 157cm. Over the week, that translates into an extra 35,700,000,000 litres. 22,100,000,000 litres of those were added in just 36 hours!

Facts about trees and woodlands

Woodland covers 12 percent of the Lake District National Park, around 28,500 hectares

9,500 hectares is owned or managed by the Forestry Commission

12,000 hectares is broadleaf woodland

620 hectares of woodland is owned and managed by us

Key dates

1810 William Wordsworth publishes "Guide to the Lakes"

1847 Kendal and Windermere railway reaches Windermere

1951 Lake District National Park established - read more in History of the National Park

2016 Lake District National Park extended

Local population and housing

* 40,478 people live within the boundaries of the National Park. (Source: Mid-Year 2018 Office for National Statistics Population Estimates)
* Population density per square kilometre: 18 (Source: 2011 census)
* Total dwellings: 24,511 (Source: LDNPA Annual Monitoring Report)
* Owner occupied: 68 per cent (Source: Mid-Year 2018 Office for National Statistics Population Estimates)
* Rented: 41.9 per cent (Source: Mid-Year 2018 Office for National Statistics Population Estimates)
* Holiday or second homes: 24 per cent (Source: 2011 census)

Tourism

Tourism is the main source of income for Lake District economy. Tourism brings great benefits to the area. Visitors spend money on accommodation, food, drink and leisure activities and indirectly support other business such as wholesalers and the building trade.

Tourism income: In 2018 visitors spent £1.48 million in the Lake District
Visitor numbers: In 2018, 19.38 million tourists visited the Lake District
Tourist Days: In 2018, there were 28.55 million tourist days in the Lake District

Source for all figures: STEAM 2018: Cumbria Tourism

Find out more in Tourism.

Weather

Temperature in Ambleside:

Maximum temperature

July - 19.9 degrees centigrade

January - 6.8 degrees centigrade

Minimum temperature

Annual rainfall:

in Ambleside: 2061mm

in Seathwaite, the wettest inhabited place in England: 3552mm

Natural Heritage

55,690 ha Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Cultural Heritage

Need more?

The State of the Park Report includes statistics on farming, employment and tourism.

Or for local traditions and famous people check out Uniquely Lake District.

Learn more about the UK's 15 National Parks

For facts and figures about other National Parks, check out National Parks - Learning about

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Lake District National Park is England's largest and covers: 2362 square kilometres 912 square miles 583,747 acres or 236,234 hectares Width (west to east): 58 km or 36 miles Width (north to south): 64 km or 40 miles Find out about the land ownership in the Lake District.