Discover Cumbria

In the warmer months of the year, often during evening, you will see several air ballons slowly gliding their way over the Lake District. An air balloon flight is undoubtedly one of the best ways to survey the spleandour of the region in a most relaxing manner, and without the effort of getting up there yourself.

The Keswick Tourism association have prepared 40 free to download walking guides covering the whole surrounding area. Walks include detailed descriptions of the route, terrain and feature hand drawn maps which serve to help you plan a day out.

Routes include

If you want to learn about Cumbria on your ipod before you go on holiday there are a series of great podcasts at mefeedia.com. The feature some Wainright walks, food features by Keith Floyd and travelcasts by Simon Calder of the Independent.

Cumbria is now the proud home of an innovative project to help protect the red squirrel from extinction. Whinlatter Forest near Keswick now has a red squirrel reserve which is now open to the public. Visiors can walk along a trail through the Red Squirrel Reserve and learn about the animals with displays indoors.

The forestry commission has a webcam during the Autum showing images of the Red Squirrels nest. Images from the webcam can be seen at the Whinlatter visitors centre.

So the Osprey have outwitted technology by moving to a new nest. Apparently this is uncharacteristic of Osprey and it may take a while to re-site the webcam to the new nest. Care must be taken to not disturb the birds in their new location. We have added some links so you can see some archive images before the birds moved.

With Lake District Mountain Rescue under unprecedented pressure and a 100% increase in call outs in the last 12 months a new video has been produced to help get the message across of how to be safe on the fells.

Preparation is essential, don't leave too late, make sure you take clothes appropriate for the conditions. Always take a map and compass, a GPS will let you down one day. Don't rely on GPS totally. Always take a torch in case you are caught out at night. Make sure you check the weather forecast before you set out.

You do not have to visit the Lake District many times before the parking charges start to stack up. If you do a tour of the Lakes and drop into several car parks it can work out extremely expensive. There may be a way to save money for the regular visitor to the region, though at £170 a year you might have to think carefully.

More details about Lake District National Park Annual Car Parking permits.

On April 10th Osprey watch blog reported that thes rare birds have indeed started nesting again at Whinlatter Forest in The Lake District, Cumbria. You can view there progress from this site thanks to the BBC Osprey watch web cam.

This innovative service offers you the opportunity to have chef made quality wholesome food delivered to your holiday cottage ready for your arrival. Offering a varied range of delicious sounding dishes including soups, mains and tempting deserts this is a wonderful way to enjoy a proper relaxing break without having to cook or dash around trying to find a table at a restaurants.

We have a 7 month old girl and are keen outdoor enthusiasts. We are keen to keen to continue walking the fells. If you have young children and an all terrain / off road buggy there are a couple of books about The Lake District which maybe be useful.