The Lake District was crowned the best UK travel destination at the 2008 British Travel Awards in London. It won the all-important public vote. North to south, the Lake District in Cumbria is just 40 miles long and 33 miles wide but is packed with natural wonders. Here's 10 good and very short reasons why it's so special.
1 The longest, the tallest and the biggest liar
The Lake District is home to England's longest Lake (Windermere at 10.5 miles), its steepest road (Hardknott Pass), its tallest mountain (Scafell Pike at 3210ft) and the World's Biggest Liar Competition (politicians and Lawyers are banned from entry!)
This year's winner was John "Johnny Liar" Graham who spun a yarn about a magical ride to Scotland in a Wheelie Bin that went under the sea...
http://www.santonbridgeinn.com/liar/
2 Britain's Favourite View
Britain's official favourite view is of Wastwater in the Wasdale Valley chosen by thousands of viewers in an ITV programme. The three-mile-long lake is also England's deepest at 258ft and is overlooked by three mountains - Lingmell, Great Gable and Scafell Pike.
http://www.britainsfavouriteview.co.uk/
3 England's only Ospreys
These magnificent fish-eating lords of the sky have made their home in Cumbria and have reared the first wild osprey chicks in England. With a wingspan of five feet breeding pairs became extinct in the UK between 1916 and 1954. The Ospreys can be seen in close-up every April when they make their return from Africa to their nest at Thornthwaite Forest near Keswick, which is spied on from a webcam link. With the right pair of binoculars in the right place, you can watch their spectacular glides over Lake Bassenthwaite to catch Pike, Trout and Perch.
http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/
4 Smallest church
The miniscule St Olaf's church at the head of the Wasdale valley is the smallest church in England. It was first mentioned in 1550 - that's 458 years ago. Its wooden roof beam is said to have been made from a Viking longboat. It's situated on the banks of Wastwater. Meanwhile, Carlisle Cathedral, built in 1122, is the second smallest cathedral in Europe.
http://www.wasdaleweb.co.uk/stoafs1.html
5 Most scenic railway journey
The 72-miles of the Settle to Carlisle line is official England's most scenic railway journey. It is also one of the best for a travel back in time weekend. Hop aboard a diesel or steam-powered locomotive and power over vast stone bridges and huge gorges, including the 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct. From Carlisle, the line runs through the stunning Eden Valley, climbing over the spine of Britain, the Pennines, and down into the rolling moorland of Bronte's Yorkshire Dales.
http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/
6 Most impressive
Hadrian's Wall is a 73-mile long monument to Roman occupation in Britain and snakes from the west of Carlisle across to Newcastle in the east. It is Britain's longest monument and was built in AD122 by the Roman Army on the command of the emperor Hadrian. It was once 15ft high and up to 10ft thick. Today, the surviving masonry of the Wall is only a small part of the visible archaeology, which also includes earthworks, milecastles, turrets and forts. The best place to go to see it is Birdoswald Roman Fort, which has the best preserved defences of any section of the wall.
http://www.hadrians-wall.org/
7 Best drive
The scenic A591 which stretches 21 miles between Windermere and Keswick takes in no less than six lakes - Windermere, Rydal, Grasmere, Thirlmere, Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. It also includes some of the most impressive mountain scenery in the world including Dunmail Raise, the glacial valley of St John's In the Vale and the lower slopes of Helvellyn. It was named Britain's Best Drive in a poll by sat nav firm, Garmin and voted one of the top three drives in Europe by European rent-a-car specialists, Alamo.
http://www.britainsfavouriteview.co.uk/Road.asp
8 Best Chef
The Good Food Guide 2009 named Lakes-based restaurateur Simon Rogan as the Best Chef in the UK. Rogan, a friend of Jean Christophe-Novelli, runs the award-winning L'Enclume in the pretty village of Cartmel. Judges said: "A kitchen cooking close to or at the top of its game. Highly individual showing faultless technique."
L'Enclume, Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel in Windermere and Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in Ullswater have all retained their Michelin stars in the 2009 Michelin Guide to Britain & Ireland.
http://www.lenclume.co.uk/
9 Largest stone circle
Long Meg and her Daughters in the Eden Valley is the second largest stone circle in Europe dating from the Bronze Age and featuring 69 stones all 12ft high. Legend tells that Long Meg was the leader of a witch's coven and was turned to stone for dancing on this remote hill on the Sabbath. Anybody who can count the stones twice and end with the same number will release her from the spell, and the great Lakes poet Wordsworth himself remarked it was the "most notable relic next to Stonehenge or anywhere else in the world."
http://www.visitcumbria.com/pen/longmeg.htm
10 Tallest pencil
The world's tallest pencil - over 26 feet long - can be found in Keswick at the Cumberland Pencil Museum. The museum tells the history of pencil making in the area after graphite (the lead used to make pencils) was found in the local hills.
http://www.pencils.co.uk/
For more information contact Cumbria Tourism on 01539 822222 or email pressoffice@cumbriatourism.org
