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It’s called the Lake District for a reason, but sharing top billing with its bodies of water are its mountains and fells – with fell being another word to describe a mountain (or a very big hill). And here the hills are pretty big – England’s 10 tallest mountains are all in the Lake District, with Scafell Pike (3209 feet/978m) the tallest of them all.
The views from the summits of virtually all of Cumbria’s mountains are pretty spectacular, but you have to get up to the top of them first – which is the main part of their attraction. Fell walking (or running, if you’re so inclined) is one of the main reasons so many people come to Cumbria and the Lake District, as here you’ll find a broad mixture of challenges: from gentle strolls up a grassy hill to clambering carefully along razor edged ridges with vertiginous drops on either side.
And because fell walking is so popular, the region knows how to cater to walkers – virtually every town and most villages have outdoor equipment shops, while most bookshops and tourist offices are well-stocked with walking guides, including of course Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the fell walker’s bible.
Inspiration
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A walk on the banks of the river Eden, in the former Forest of Inglewood.
Have you ever wanted to climb the highest mountain in the UK or maybe take on a mountain horseshoe…
You may leave the Lake District, but once you’ve been, it’ll never leave you.
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