then, the only observable changes to the landscape have been due to the activity of man, either creating fields for livestock or mining and quarrying for minerals and building materials. Over the centuries, rock has been quarried for constructing buildings and the many miles of dry stone walls and slate for roofing. At the same time, lead, copper and other ores have been mined from veins in the rocks of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group at various sites in the centre of the area particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today there is still some limited quarrying within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park, but by the 20th century mining had largely ended as financially viable veins of ore became exhausted.
The coastal region of West Cumbria has a particularly fascinating industrial history, revealed in local museums and heritage centres. Shipbuilding, coal and iron ore mining, steel making and chemical manufacturing have all been major employers, but today little of these industries remain.
STONE WALLS
Rebuilding an old dry stone wall on the fell road above Staveley (Stage 1B)
Riding through the Lake District gives ample time to really get to know dry stone walls. Cumbria has an estimated 15,000km (9300 miles) of them, so there is a lot to study. Although some date from earlier times, most were constructed following the Enclosure Act of 1801 to divide up the farming landscape. The fields around farms in the valleys are known as in-bye fields, but the fields up the fellside have been ‘taken’ from the fell and are known as in-take fields. The land above the highest wall is the open fell.
Earlier walls tend to be built from well-rounded stones that retreating ice had left scattered across the landscape, whereas more recent walls were constructed from stone that was quarried in the immediate vicinity and dragged to where they were needed by a horse-drawn ‘slipe’ or sledge. This was not an easy task as each metre of wall requires a ton of stone.
Walls in the Lake District are built with a variety of different types of stone depending on the geology of the location with slate, shale, sandstone, limestone and granites all in common use. Traditionally craftsmen would build a ‘rood’ of wall a day; a measure that varied from seven yards (6.4 metres) down to six yards (5.48 metres) depending on how hard the local stone was to work with.
Lakeland walls generally have one or more layers of ‘through-stones’ laid across the wall to increase stability. Some have small rectangular ‘smoots’ at their base so hares and rabbits can pass from one field to the next. Others have larger holes in them variously known as sheep runs, cripple holes or sheep smoots to allow sheep to pass from one pasture to another.
Plants and wildlife
Cumbrian fell ponies still live wild in the Eastern Fells, ospreys nest in the woods above Bassenthwaite and a solitary golden eagle inhabits the hills around the head of Haweswater. However, you are unlikely to see them from your bike. Nevertheless, there is plenty of wildlife to see if you stay alert. The cavities in stone walls provide both shelter and hunting ground for the insect eating wren. Their constant movement makes them difficult to spot, but if you hear their trilling call, stop and you will catch sight of them bobbing about ahead of you. After the wood pigeon and the chaffinch, it is one of the commonest birds in the UK with an estimated population of seven to eight million; its success due to its ability to thrive in a varied range of habitats.
When riding along quieter lanes, you may occasionally find your presence has disturbed a large bird of prey from its perch and catch sight of it silently moving through the tree canopy above. Most likely, it is a common buzzard. Despite being much smaller than the golden eagle, it is still a formidable predator, dropping down on rabbits and small mammals, which they nearly always kill on the ground. You may also see them hovering high in the sky and hear their plaintive mewing call, especially in spring when they are displaying to potential mates. In recent years, their numbers have exploded and they now thrive in areas where they were once a rarity.
When it comes to mammals, there is one very special species you should look out for – the red squirrel. Ever since Victorians released the North American grey squirrel into the wild in 1876, the red squirrel has been on the retreat. However, they still have a foothold in the woodlands in the northern parts of the Lake District and you may see one if you look for the road signs warning drivers of their presence. Contrary to popular belief, squirrels do not hibernate, as they need to eat all year round to survive, so look out for them right through the year. You may also see signs asking people to report sightings of any grey squirrels, which are increasing in numbers around the periphery of the national park. Conservation bodies are taking a number of steps to protect and promote the population of red squirrels. These include providing special feeders that only the reds can access and putting squirrel ladders across busy roads so they can safely move from one area of woodland to another. Beatrix Potter, creator of Squirrel Nutkin, would surely approve.
Primroses – one of the many wild flowers found along the verges in the Lake District
As well as protecting animals, the National Park Authority and other conservation organisations are also involved in protecting threatened habitats and plant species. This includes different types of grassland, upland heaths and mires, which are important habitats for the rare natterjack toad. Protected plant species include juniper, which exists in patches alongside the road between Little Langdale and Blea Tarn, and various lichens and mosses. In total, the Lake District is home to eight National Nature Reserves and over a thousand Sites of Special Scientific Interest as well as a number of other conservation areas.
History and culture
The history of any region is always determined by its natural resources and the Lake District is no different. At least 5000 years ago, communities settled in the valleys, erecting stone circles such as Castlerigg and venturing into the fells for material to shape into stone axes, which have since been found at archaeological sites all over Britain. The Celts, Romans, Angles and Vikings all settled across the district leaving evidence of their presence in Roman forts, Viking crosses and in place names with Nordic elements such as ‘thwaite’ meaning clearing and ‘beck’ meaning stream.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, many fortified tower houses and pele towers, such as Dacre Castle, were built as protection against the ‘Border Reivers’ who repeatedly made raids into what was known as the ‘Debateable Lands’ to rustle cattle, pillage and extort money. Once the borderline between England and Scotland was finally agreed in 1552 raiding diminished. Then when the thrones of Scotland and England were united in 1603, King James embarked on the ‘Pacification of the Borders’, rounding up the main reiver families and deporting many of them to Ireland. Religious communities also settled in the Lake District during the Middle Ages. Cartmel Priory survives intact as the village church, the abbey at Shap was largely dismantled after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the middle of the 16th century and an earlier abbey at Dacre was destroyed by Vikings in the 10th century.
Today we value the Lake District for recreation and enjoyment and tourism is the mainstay of the local economy. But its natural resources meant it was once a hive of industry. There is evidence of mining and quarrying from the 12th century, but the Romans clearly quarried materials for roads and buildings locally. Over the centuries, lead, copper, zinc, baryte, haematite, tungsten, graphite, fluorite, and coal have all been mined and quarried on a small scale within the boundaries of the national park; today slate mining continues at the top of the Honister and Kirkstone passes. Coal, iron ore and haematite were mined on a large scale at sites in West Cumbria in the 19th and early 20th centuries. To the east, granite and limestone are still quarried at Shap.
Good transportation was essential to move materials out of the area and
