Lakes of the Lake District: Difference between revisions

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The lakes of the Lake District are creations of nature; beautiful and inspiring. The National Park is home to the deepest lake. It is also home to the four largest lakes in England and Wales.^[1] Set against a backdrop of Lakeland mountains, known locally as fells, one can easily conjure up thoughts of bygone authors and poets who so loved their craft; forever sealing a picturesque impression of a romanticised setting in one of the wettest parts of the UK.

Water is abundant here; reason alone for its green hues in summer and long, grey winters. There are hundreds of bodies of water in the Lake District, ranging in size from the largest lakes to the smallest pools, many more than most people would ever care to visit. The popular destinations are what brings the masses here to break away from everyday routine. From hardcore hikers and cyclists to the casual, fair-weather day trippers, visitors to the area who explore this great outdoors, do so because its appeal draws them in, time and time again. The lakes are just one, albeit predominantly so, reason for this influx of people every year.

By name alone, the Lake district has only one lake, that of Bassenthwaite Lake in the north-west region, out of 17 of the main lakes. There is a general misconception that Windermere, the largest of the lakes, is prefixed with the word Lake to differentiate it from the small town of the same name. This grammatical construct typifies the redundancy of the word, which is not needed due to mere already present. Although the Lake District has only one body of water with lake in the title, the remaining 16 of the big "lakes" are named with mere or water. These words are synonymous with the lakes that were born is this wide open land, either by glacial withdrawal or by human intervention.

The term "ice age" can be somewhat ambiguous. The earth is in an ice age called the Quaternary glaciation, which began around 2.58 million years ago and has had many periods of glacial advance and retreat. We are still in this ice age, as suggested by the ice caps present at the poles. However, we are currently experiencing an interglacial or warmer period. In the UK this period is called the Flandrian interglacial.^[2] This led to retreating ice that left us with glacially "plucked" and eroded valleys that formed the lake district we see today. Not only the ice, but people too, are responsible for changing the landscape. Haweswater and Thirlmere are reservoirs, although the former was once a natural lake. It was dammed to raise the water level in a bid to supply fresh water for the people of Manchester, at a price that flooded two Cumbrian villages, now lost to the murky darkness. The once ebb and flow of ice and, in much more recent times, people, continue to have an effect on the natural backdrop of the second oldest national park in England after the Peak District.^[a]

The lakes have been immortalised in text and image by the very people, past and present, with a passion for this rugged landscape. The big lakes are the quintessence of Lakeland, and listed below are 17 bodies of water that give this National Park its name. How these are classified, one could rightly surmise, is by size. Whilst the humble tarn is usually reserved for the smaller bodies of water, size alone is not the only trait for the lakes. Some tarns bigger than the smallest of the big lakes, for example, Burnmoor Tarn near Wast Water, and Seathwaite Tarn near the Old Man of Coniston, both of which are bigger than Elter Water and Brothers Water.^[3] One could easily say that each of the lakes have their own distinctive character, companioned by the landscape in which they sit. Size, depth, inflows, outflows, location, and human intervention all play a vital role in our understanding of these expanses of water, which, seen from above, appear to radiate outwards from a central point near the fell of High Raise in Langdale.

Each lake below is the subject of a compendious listing, with a link to the lake's main article (when these have been written).

Etymology

The origin of "mere"

The word mere comes from Old English [mere] and mere, meaning a lake, pool or sea (poetic or in compounds); from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic word mari, meaning sea, ocean, lake or body of water. It is cognate with West Frisian mar, Dutch meer, Low German Meer, and German Meer. They derive from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic *mari, itself from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European word *mori, meaning body of water. The larger sense of "sea, or arm of the sea" has been obsolete since Middle English.^[4] Mere in this instance refers to the names Buttermere, Grasmere, Windermere, Kentmere, which are recorded from the late 12th or 13th century. The term "water" is used more often for the larger of the lakes^[5] although this is not strictly so as Blea Water is a tarn and only marginally larger than Elter Water.

The Indo-European root *mori gave birth to similar words in other European languages: Latin mare, ″sea″ (Italian mare, Spanish mar, French mer); Old Celtic *mori, ″sea″, Irish muir, Welsh môr, Breton mor)

The origin of "water"

Water:

Bassenthwaite Lake

Main article: Bassenthwaite Lake

Brothers Water

Main article: Brothers Water

Buttermere

Main article: Buttermere

Coniston Water

Main article: Coniston Water

Crummock Water

Main article: Crummock Water

Derwentwater

Main article: Derwentwater

Elter Water

Main article: Elter Water – The smallest of the lakes

Ennerdale Water

Main article: Ennerdale Water

Esthwaite Water

Main article: Esthwaite Water

Grasmere

Main article: Grasmere'

Haweswater

Main article: Haweswater (Reservoir)

Loweswater

Main article: Loweswater

Rydal Water

Main article: Rydal Water

Thirlmere

Main article: Thirlmere (Reservoir)

Ullswater

Main article: Ullswater – The 2nd largest of the lakes

Wast Water

Main article: Wast Water – The deepest of the lakes

Windermere

Main article: Windermere – The largest of the lakes

Notes

↑ The Lake District National Park was formed on 9 May, 1951, second after that of the Peak District, which was formed on 17 April, 1951.

References

↑ Smith (2012), p.3.
↑ The Flandrian interglacial period started at the end of the Devensian glaciation (also known as the last glacial period), which was at its maximum approximately 22,000 years ago. This cold period had come to end around 11,700 years ago after which the earth saw a period of warming, the period that we are currently in.
↑ Smith (2014), p.8.
↑ Mere Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed 22 January, 2022.
↑ Whaley, p.411

[3] The Lake District National Park was formed on 9 May, 1951, second after that of the Peak District, which was formed on 17 April, 1951.

[1] Smith (2012), p.3.

[lower-alpha-2] The Flandrian interglacial period started at the end of the Devensian glaciation (also known as the last glacial period), which was at its maximum approximately 22,000 years ago. This cold period had come to end around 11,700 years ago after which the earth saw a period of warming, the period that we are currently in.

[4] Smith (2014), p.8.

[5] Mere Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed 22 January, 2022.

[6] Whaley, p.411

[1]

[2]

[a]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+The lakes of the Lake District are creations of nature; beautiful and inspiring. The National Park is home to the deepest lake. It is also home to the four largest lakes in England and Wales.<ref>Smith (2012), p.3.</ref> Set against a backdrop of Lakeland mountains, known locally as fells, one can easily conjure up thoughts of bygone authors and poets who so loved their craft; forever sealing a picturesque impression of a romanticised setting in one of the wettest parts of the UK.
-It is a misconception that the Lake District has "lakes." It is much more than that. If you go by name alone it has only one lake, [[Bassenthwaite Lake]]. Semantics aside, the Lake District ''does'' has more than one lake. In fact it has multiple lakes of different sizes in the form of [[mere]]s, [[water]]s and [[tarn]]s, dotted throughout this rugged, yet beautiful landscape. These words are synonymous with the bodies of water that were born is this wide open land, either by glacial withdrawal or by human intervention.
+Water is abundant here; reason alone for its green hues in summer and long, grey winters. There are hundreds of bodies of water in the Lake District, ranging in size from the largest lakes to the smallest pools, many more than most people would ever care to visit. The popular destinations are what brings the masses here to break away from everyday routine. From hardcore hikers and cyclists to the casual, fair-weather day trippers, visitors to the area who explore this great outdoors, do so because its appeal draws them in, time and time again. The lakes are just one, albeit predominantly so, reason for this influx of people every year.
-Thanks to the {{w2|Last Glacial Period|last glacial period}} of 10,000 years ago, the retreating ice left us with glacially eroded valleys that formed the lake district we see today. Not only the ice, but people too, are responsible for changing the landscape. [[Haweswater]] and [[Thirlmere]] are reservoirs, although the former was once a natural lake. It was dammed to raise the water level in a bid to supply fresh water for the people of Manchester, at a price that flooded two Cumbrian villages, now lost to the murky darkness. The once ebb and flow of ice and, in much more recent times, people, continue to have an effect on the natural backdrop of the second oldest national park in England after the Peak District, which were both formed in 1951.<ref group="lower-alpha">The Lake District National Park was formed on 9 May, 1951, second after that of the Peak District, which was formed on 17 April, 1951.</ref>
+By name alone, the Lake district has only one ''lake'', that of [[Bassenthwaite Lake]] in the north-west region, out of 17 of the main lakes. There is a general misconception that [[Windermere]], the largest of the lakes, is prefixed with the word ''Lake'' to differentiate it from the small town of the same name. This grammatical construct typifies the redundancy of the word, which is not needed due to ''mere'' already present. Although the Lake District has only one body of water with ''lake'' in the title, the remaining 16 of the big "lakes" are named with ''mere'' or ''water''. These words are synonymous with the lakes that were born is this wide open land, either by glacial withdrawal or by human intervention.
-The larger of the lakes usually carry the suffix of [[mere]] or [[water]], whilst the humble [[tarn]] is usually reserved for the smaller bodies of water. However, there are some tarns larger than lakes, just to confuse matters.<ref>[https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/learning/factsandfigures Lake District Fact and Figures] The Lake District National Park Authority. Accessed 15 January, 2023.</ref> An example of this is evident in [[Blea Water]] (a tarn) being slightly lager than [[Elter Water]], which is the smallest of the lakes. Each body of water, large and small, encompassed by neighbouring fells, woodland and moors, bestow a natural beauty individual in character. One of the best ways to experience this is on foot.
+The term "ice age" can be somewhat ambiguous. The earth is in an ice age called the Quaternary glaciation, which began around 2.58 million years ago and has had many periods of glacial advance and retreat. We are still in this ice age, as suggested by the ice caps present at the poles. However, we are currently experiencing an interglacial or warmer period. In the UK this period is called the {{w1|Flandrian interglacial}}.<ref name="lower-alpha">The Flandrian interglacial period started at the end of the Devensian glaciation (also known as the {{w2|Last Glacial Period|last glacial period}}), which was at its maximum approximately 22,000 years ago. This cold period had come to end around 11,700 years ago after which the earth saw a period of warming, the period that we are currently in.</ref> This led to retreating ice that left us with glacially "plucked" and eroded valleys that formed the lake district we see today. Not only the ice, but people too, are responsible for changing the landscape. [[Haweswater]] and [[Thirlmere]] are reservoirs, although the former was once a natural lake. It was dammed to raise the water level in a bid to supply fresh water for the people of Manchester, at a price that flooded two Cumbrian villages, now lost to the murky darkness. The once ebb and flow of ice and, in much more recent times, people, continue to have an effect on the natural backdrop of the second oldest national park in England after the Peak District.<ref group="lower-alpha">The Lake District National Park was formed on 9 May, 1951, second after that of the Peak District, which was formed on 17 April, 1951.</ref>
+The lakes have been immortalised in text and image by the very people, past and present, with a passion for this rugged landscape. The big lakes are the quintessence of Lakeland, and listed below are 17 bodies of water that give this National Park its name. How these are classified, one could rightly surmise, is by size. Whilst the humble [[tarn]] is usually reserved for the smaller bodies of water, size alone is not the only trait for the lakes. Some tarns bigger than the smallest of the big lakes, for example, [[Burnmoor Tarn]] near [[Wast Water]], and [[Seathwaite Tarn]] near the [[Old Man of Coniston]], both of which are bigger than [[Elter Water]] and [[Brothers Water]].<ref>Smith (2014), p.8.</ref> One could easily say that each of the lakes have their own distinctive character, companioned by the landscape in which they sit. Size, depth, inflows, outflows, location, and human intervention all play a vital role in our understanding of these expanses of water, which, seen from above, appear to radiate outwards from a central point near the fell of [[High Raise (Langdale)|High Raise]] in Langdale.
+Each lake below is the subject of a compendious listing, with a link to the lake's main article (when these have been written).
 ==Etymology==
-===The origin of "Mere"===
+===The origin of "mere"===
+The word ''mere'' comes from Old English ''[[https://bosworthtoller.com/22650 mere]]'' and ''[[wiktionary:mere#Old_English|mere]]'', meaning a lake, pool or sea (poetic or in compounds); from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic word ''[[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mari|mari]]'', meaning sea, ocean, lake or body of water. It is cognate with West Frisian ''mar'', Dutch ''meer'', Low German ''Meer'', and German ''Meer''. They derive from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic ''*mari'', itself from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European word ''*mori'', meaning body of water. The larger sense of "sea, or arm of the sea" has been obsolete since Middle English.<ref>{{oed|title1=mere|title2=Mere|day=22|month=January|year=2022}}</ref> Mere in this instance refers to the names [[Buttermere]], [[Grasmere]], [[Windermere]], [[Kentmere]], which are recorded from the late 12th or 13th century. The term "water" is used more often for the larger of the lakes<ref>Whaley, p.411</ref> although this is not strictly so as [[Blea Water]] is a tarn and only marginally larger than Elter Water.
-'''Mere''': Pool, small lake, pond. From Old English ''mere'' meaning "sea, ocean; lake, pool, pond, cistern," from Proto-Germanic ''mari''. Also from:
-*Old Norse: ''marr''
-*Old Saxon: ''meri'' → "sea"
-*Middle Dutch: → ''maer'' / Dutch: ''meer'' → "lake, sea, pool"
-*Old High German: ''mari'' / German: ''meer'' → "sea"
-*Gothic: ''marei'' → "sea," ''mari-saiws'' → "lake"
-The source of these come from the Proto-Indo-European root word ''mori'', meaning "[[Bodies of water|body of water]]." The larger sense of "sea, or arm of the sea" has been obsolete since Middle English.<ref>{{oed|title1=mere|title2=Mere|day=22|month=January|year=2022}}</ref> Mere in this instance refers to the names [[Buttermere]], [[Grasmere]], [[Windermere]], [[Kentmere]], which are recorded from the late 12th or 13th century. The term "water" is used more often for the larger of the lakes.<ref>Whaley, p.411</ref>
+The Indo-European root *''mori'' gave birth to similar words in other European languages: Latin mare, ″sea″ (Italian ''mare'', Spanish ''mar'', French ''mer''); Old Celtic *mori, ″sea″, Irish ''muir'', Welsh ''môr'', Breton ''mor'')
-===The origin of "Water"===
-*'''Water''':
-==The Lakes of Lakeland==
-The lakes of the Lake District are creations of nature; beautiful and inspiring. The National Park is home to the deepest lake. It is also home to the four largest lakes in England and Wales.<ref>Smith (2012), p.3.</ref> Set against a backdrop of Lakeland mountains, known locally as fells, one can easily conjure up thoughts of bygone authors and poets who so loved their craft; forever sealing a picturesque impression of a romanticised setting in one of the wettest parts of the UK.
+===The origin of "water"===
-Water is abundant here; reason alone for its green hues in summer and long, grey winters. There are hundreds of bodies of water in the Lake District, ranging in size from the largest lakes to the smallest pools, many more than most people would ever care to visit. The popular destinations are what brings the masses here to break away from everyday routine. From hardcore hikers and cyclists to the casual, fair-weather day trippers, visitors to the area who explore this great outdoors, do so because its appeal draws them in, time and time again. The lakes are just one, albeit predominantly so, reason for this influx of people every year.
+*'''Water''':
-The lakes have been immortalised in text and image by the very people, past and present, with a passion for this rugged landscape. The big lakes are the quintessence of Lakeland, and listed below are 17 bodies of water that give this National Park its name. How these are classified, one would rightly so surmise, is by size. But size alone cannot be the only trait for there are some tarns bigger than the smallest of the big lakes, for example, [[Burnmoor Tarn]] near [[Wast Water]], and [[Seathwaite Tarn]] near the [[Old Man of Coniston]], both of which are bigger than [[Elter Water]] and [[Brothers Water]].<ref>Smith (2014), p.8.</ref> One could easily say that each of the lakes have their own distinctive character, companioned by the landscape in which they sit. Size, depth, inflows, outflows, location, and human intervention all play a vital role in our understanding of these expanses of water, which, seen from above, appear to radiate outwards from a central point near the fell of [[High Raise (Langdale)|High Raise]] in Langdale.
-Each lake below is the subject of a compendious listing, with a link to the lake's main article (when these have been written).
 ===Bassenthwaite Lake===