Lake District - History of Tourism

Tourism in the Lake District dates back to 1698 when many visitors travelled to the Lake District for the education and the pleasure of the journey.

The area started to become very popular with travellers towards the end of the 18th century, and in 1778 Father Thomas West wrote A Guide to the Lakes, which started the era of true tourism.

In the 1790s viewpoint stations were set up so that tourists could enjoy the best views of the landscape, at some of these stations buildings were erected to help tourists appreciate the formal qualities of the landscape. The remains of Claife Station can still be seen today.

In 1810 William Wordsworth published hid Guide to the Lakes, which was very influential in helping to popularise the region and boost tourism to the Lake Districts. By 1835 the book had reached its fifth edition and was now called A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England.

The Kendal and Windermere Railway was the first to be built in the Lake District, and reached Kendal in 1846 and Windermere in 1847. The line was extended to reach Coniston in 1848; Penrith through Keswick to Cockermouth in 1865; and in 1869 the line to Lakeside at Windermere was opened.

The railway brought a huge increase in the number of tourists to the Lake District and was one of the biggest contributing factors to the growth of the tourism industry of the Lake District.

Steamer boats on the major lakes of Ullswater, Winderemere, Coniston Water and Derwentwater supplemented the railway and helped increase tourism even further.