National Parks in the UK – The Lake District
\nMap of UK National Parks
\nPicture
\nBackground
\nNational Parks (NP) are large areas of mainly rural land. England’s Parks cover
\n7% of its land area and Scotland’s two parks take up 7.3 %. In Wales a huge 20%
\nmakes up its three NP. Globally, there are 6,000 NPs, protecting 12% of the
\nworld’s land surface. The UK’s first NP was the Peak District of Derbyshire,
\ncreated in 1951 by an Act of Parliament.<\/p>\n
After the world war two the aim of governments was to try and increase peoples quality of life. NPs aims were to conserve natural and cultural landscapes while allowing access for visitors to enjoy them. Earlier it was decided that the South Downs was to become the latest NP after a long period of consultation and it is expected to become one of the busiest as it is in such a densely populated region.<\/p>\n
Many NPs are uplands such as Snowdonia and the Lake District; a few more are lowlands (Norfolk broads) and coastal (Pembrokshire). Land remains privately owned (81%), mostly by farmers, but the Forestry Commission, the National Trust, the Ministry of Defence and the water authorities also own some areas. The NP Authorities only directly control 1%. Local people make their living from the land and local businesses.<\/p>\n
National Park: an area usually designated by law where development is limited and planning controlled. The landscape is regarded as unusual and valuable and therefore worth preserving.<\/p>\n
Honeypot site: a location attracting a large number of tourists who, due to their numbers, place pressure on the environment and people.<\/p>\n
The Lake District National Park
\nBackground and attraction
\nThe English Lake District is a glaciated upland area in Cumbria, north-west
\nEngland. It stretches 64km form north to south and 53km east to west. It became
\na NP in 1951.<\/p>\n
Attractions:
\nstunning scenery
\nabundant wildlife
\ncultural heritage – considered to be England’s finest landscape
\nribbon lakes like Lake Windermere – sailing, jet-skiing, windsailing,
\npowerboating. The lake is segregated into different areas for windsailing and
\npowerboating so the activities do not clash and quiet areas are left for people
\nseeking peace and quiet
\nfishing from the shore or from boats
\nwalking – one of the most popular draws fro tourists – routes vary from
\nshort and relatively flat to extremely long and tough – many guides are
\navailable for purchase
\nmountaineering – challenges in corries and sides of u-shaped valleys
\nhistorical and cultural sites also attract tourists – the Lake District has
\nbeen occupied since the end of the ice age (10,000 year ago)
\nBeatrix Potter’s house
\nPicture
\nImpacts of tourism
\nThere are both positive and negative impacts of tourism on the LDNP.<\/p>\n
Traffic Problems: Over 89% of visitors come by car, often just for the day. Many roads, including A roads, are narrow and winding. Buses and large delivery vehicles have to use these to service both locals and tourists. Queues are a common problem, especially towards the end of the day when day trippers are heading home. Towns like Bowness-on-Windermere act as honeypot sites and were not originally built for the huge volumes of traffic that arrive daily in the summer, especially at weekends. Congestion and car parking are a serious problem. Car parks have been extended in
\nBowness-on-Windermere but this has not been enough and in desperation, in the
\ncountryside people park on grass verges, causing serious damage.<\/p>\n
Honeypot sites: The Lake District has both physical and cultural honeypot sites. Beauty spots, small shopping centres and historic houses all attract hundreds of visitors daily. Cat Bells is quite an easy climb, so many people walk up this smaller mountain. It therefore suffers from serious footpath erosion. Across the Lake District, 4 million people walk at least 6km per year. Several areas have scarred landscapes. Bowness is an extremely busy shopping and recreation centre in summer, Honeypot sites need to provide access and facilities while remaining as unspoilt as possible.<\/p>\n
Pressure on property: Almost 20% of property in the LDNP is either second homes or holiday let accommodation. Some local people make a good income from owning and letting such a property, and this is often forgotten by those who are more critical of second homes. The main issues include the following:
\nholiday cottages and flats are not occupied all year
\nthe same is true of second homes, so their owners are not part of the
\ncommunity full time
\nholidaymakers do not always support local businesses, often doing a
\nsupermarket trip. On the other hand, the main supermarket in Windermere is often full of visitors buying a great deal of food and drink for their stay
\ndemand for property from outsiders increases property prices in the Lake
\nDistrict, causing problems for local people who are forced to move out to find
\naffordable homes on the edge of the region in Kendal or Penrith. This is the most serious tourist problem affecting local communities<\/p>\n
Environmental issues: Water sports are not allowed on some of the lakes, but Windermere, the largest lake,
\nhas ferries and allows powerboating, wind-surfing and other faster and more
\ndamaging activities. The main issue is the wash from faster vehicles eroding the
\nshore. Fuel spills are not uncommon, causing pollution.
\nPicture
\nFootpath erosion
\nPicture
\nTourism Management Strategies
\nSeveral strategies are being tried where the aim is to limit tourist impact
\nrather than to discourage visitors, which would be against the ethos of any
\nNP.<\/p>\n
Traffic solutions:
\nPlanning an efficient road network:
\ncounty strategic roads, often like dual carriageways, are built on the edges of
\nthe Lake District to help move traffic in and out as efficiently as possible
\ndistributor roads link the small towns and key tourist villages
\naccess roads are small and take less traffic. Many people do not drive
\nbeyond the larger settlements. Some routes are ‘scenic’ and sometimes there is a choice, which splits traffic between routes
\ntraffic on smaller roads can be slowed by traffic-calming measures in
\nvillages, cattle grids in the countryside and an overall maximum speed
\nlimit heavy lorries should be kept off scenic roads<\/p>\n
Planning public transport:
\nwhere possible bus lanes operate in towns, although narrow streets limit this
\npark-and-ride schemes encourage people to leave their cars at the edge of
\nthe National Park and go by bus. Costs are lower than town car parks
\nbuses in the most rural areas remain a difficulty as roads are so narrow<\/p>\n
Honeypot management<\/p>\n
Footpaths:
\nrepairing footpaths improves appearance and encourages people to stay on
\nthe path
\nreinforcing path surfaces reduce future damage
\nsignposting routes limits the number of paths<\/p>\n
Parking:
\nfence off roadsides so people cannot damage verges
\ndevelop several new small car parks and hide them by landscaping using tree
\nplanting
\nreinforce car-park surfaces to prevent damage. ‘Waffles’ are large concrete
\nslabs with holes in them, like an edible waffle. Soil fills the holes and grass
\ngrows, giving a hard green surface
\nLitter:
\nbins should be provided at key points and emptied regularly. Overflowing bins encourage more litter
\ndesignated picnic areas mean litter has to be dealt with in fewer places
\nsigns encouraging people to be responsible reduce litter<\/p>\n
Property prices<\/p>\n
This is the most difficult issue. Management strategies cannot control house prices. Local authorities could build more homes for rent and developers could erect more
\nlow-cost homes for sale. Little has yet to be achieved.<\/p>\n
Environmental issues<\/p>\n
Speed limits for boats limit the amount of wash caused, but to prevent erosion speeds would have to be very low, which clashes with the main pleasure of the sport – going fast! The speed limit on Windermere is 18kph. Limiting the noisiest and most damaging sports to certain parts of the lake can restrict the amount of damage
\ndone.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.gatm.org.uk\/geographyatthemovies\/tourism.html
\n– this link takes you to the Geography At The Movies website and has great link for tourism videos – make sure you look at the videos on national parks and the Lake District in particular<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"