Lake District

Northwest England's Lake District nestles in the Cumbrian Mountains, an area of grassy boulder-strewn hills, cliffs and lakes. The region is ancient, its hills rounded with centuries of erosion, and ancient Norse words like fells are still used to describe the hilly terrain. The scenic beauty of the region has attracted many tourists since the mid-eighteenth century, and provided inspiration for a generation of poets including Wordsworth, Ruskin, Shelley, Tennyson, and others who came to be known as the Lake Poets. Elevation is not particularly high, as only four summits top 3,000 feet. Every summit in the region can be reached via an easy fell walk. Still, many of the cliffs and crags have a variety of excellent rock climbing and scrambling routes. The Lake District provided the inspiration and training ground to many of the early pioneers of mountaineering, who then went on to climb great peaks throughout the world. The main valleys of the district radiate from the central hub of the Scaffel massif, from which rise the two highest peaks, Scafell and Scafell Pike.