Tarns of the Lake District: Difference between revisions
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'''Tarns''' are situated in various different locations, both at lower level valley plains and mountainous regions of the Lake District; bygone reminders of their glacial origins. They can change form due to alluvial deposition made by the constant run off from becks (mountain streams). Over long periods of time, they can silt up the adjacent land with sand, gravel and clay, making some areas incredibly fertile, particularly those on valley floors. Many tarns are natural, a work of art in nature’s canvass, crafting and forming ever-changing scenery that will some day be unrecognisable to our present-day eyes.
There are some tarns the result of human intervention, created for our increasing need for clean drinking water, dammed and turned into reservoirs to increase capacity. More than a third, maybe even as many as 40% of the tarns in Lakeland, have probably had some form of alteration.<ref>Blair
The word ''tarn'' is evocative of something that would not be out of place in Tolkien's Middle Earth. A stirring sentence from John and Anne Nuttall's, ''The Tarns of Lakeland'', rings ever so true, explaining that:
<blockquote>
From the expanse of [[Devoke Water]] to the Miniature [[Lang tarn]] on the Heathwaite Fells there is such a variety of size, and from [[Watendlath Tarn]] to [[Foxes Tarn]] such a variety of situation, that every tarn is unique. But more than anything else tarns reflect the seasons and the weather so that no two visits are ever the same.<ref>Nuttall
Yet, romanticism aside, what a tarn is can stir confusion, simply because of their diversity in size, shape, form, and purpose, especially when asking: when does a tarn become a lake or a pond? This is not always directly associated with size, as some tarns are bigger than lakes, and some as small as a mere puddle. This is where things can become ambiguous and convoluted. So, let's start off with something else; how many tarns are there in the Lake District?
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Looking at the broader picture, there are many different bodies of water in the form of small lakes, tarns, ponds and pools. We are predominantly interested only in those within the boundary of the Lake District, however, it is still interesting to see the statistical differences between the county of Cumbria and the national park within it. A small number of these bodies of water are cirque tarns, immediately identifiable from their distinctive bowl-shaped form. The majority of the others were created from a process called areal scouring, which is described briefly below. Take into account that around 15% of the tarns in the Lake District are of artificial construction, and some are now disused and left to nature, you then start to look at tarns, and their place in the landscape, differently. Whatever your thoughts on the subject, many are special places to explore on foot.
The following figures are sourced from Dr Smith's book, which collates years of research in this field of study.<ref>Smith
'''In the county of Cumbria''' there are a total of {{x-larger|1826}} small lakes and tarns. Of this number:
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==Cirque tarns==
These are small bodies of water usually formed in mountainous hollows or corries, known also as glacial cirques. These are bowl-shaped, ice-excavated rock basins, some of which are naturally deep, once carved by millions of tonnes of ice, erosion and weather. Cirques typically have three steep sides containing a headwall and two enclosing sidewalls, with a fourth being more open where a glacial till or moraine (rock debris that formed a dam) eventually enclosed and trapped the remaining ice.<ref name="smith24">Smith
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The typical characteristics of cirque tarns resemble a pudding bowl, some definitely more circular than others. This bowl will have a single deep point, usually in or near the centre, some of which are very deep for their size. A prime example of this is [[Blea Water]], just north of the [[Kentmere]] valley and west of [[Haweswater]] Reservoir. It has a depth of 63 metres (206 feet), almost twice the depth of [[Grisedale Tarn]] at 33 metres (108 feet). The next deepest is [[Red Tarn]] at 26 metres (85 feet), and [[Easedale Tarn]] at 22.5 metres (74 feet).<ref>Smith
Cirque tarns do come in a variety of shapes and sizes, not all of these being the typical shape one would expect to see. Those that stand out, mentioned above, were formed because the land under the ice dome during the last glacial period, paired with the radial (outward) flow of ice, meant that certain geological processes made the shaping of them possible. There are upwards of 200 cirque type features, yet, one would be surprised to see that of this large number, only 19 hold water.<ref name="smith24"/> Some cirque basins did, historically, hold water but have now dried up, primarily due to the sedimentary infilling from the various becks that flowed into them.
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At the end of the last glacial period, the landscape would have looked very different, scarred, barren, devoid of life, and the number of cirque tarns would have been greater. In the last 13,000 years, these have been reduced dramatically and lost to history. Yet the evidence of infilling is still very much apparent as seen at [[Blind Tarn Moss]] near [[Grasmere]], and at [[Dry Cove Moss]] near [[Weatherlam]],<ref>Smith
These mountainous tarns are unlike their lower altitude relatives found in the outlying fells (and various other locations in the northwest) where they look more like large ponds. While a number of these will be natural, others will be man-made, once serving different industrial purposes.
==Areally scoured tarns==
Unlike cirque tarns, areally scoured tarns were created from a different process. The immense ice sheets, hundred of metres thick, covered the National Park in its entirety. It was busy moving radially outwards in multiple directions, gouging and excavating the earth and rock that, eventually, created a disproportionately large number of small lakes, tarns, and pools compared to their larger counterparts. There are approximately 800 of these natural bodies of water throughout the Lake District,<ref name="smith37">Smith
The aftermath of ice action during the Last Glacial Period revealed a scarred and barren landscape. The ice had moved across hilltop and ridge without mercy, literally scouring the surface, leaving behind a world we would not be so familiar with. The lack of vegetation would be most obvious, along with many dips and troughs filled with water. Smith describes the scene thus:
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==Other types of tarn==
As already mentioned, tarns come in a variety of different shapes and forms, the product of different processes. There are other types of natural tarns that can be seen across the Lake District, created at the same time of the Last Glacial Period, but are neither the cirque or areally scoured variety of tarns. They are at home in the upper reaches of the fells as well as the wider, open lowlands, in many cases located in barren, boggy and sometimes challenging to reach places. Rock ledge tarns ([[Broadcrag Tarn]] - the highest tarn in Lakeland), summit tarns, and saddle tarns (located in the dips between summits) are amongst these. Additionally, there are tarns with natural dam features, created by alluvial deposits, rocks falls and landslides. Examples of these include [[Overwater]], which has extensive sedimentary build up from Dale Gill and the River Ellen, and [[Greendale Tarn]], which has been held back by extensive rock debris.<ref>Smith
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If one was to write an account of all the tarns, this would be a time consuming task. There are numerous tiny bodies of water hardly worth a mention. To write a couple of paragraphs about a small spit of water only a few inches deep with no discernible features of note would be challenging. And who would be interested in reading about it? Of the multitude of tarns that are interesting in their own, individual way, not all are natural, attractive, or easy to get to. So with this in mind there would have to be some rules in place to select the tarns to write about.
What features are deemed of interest in the selection process? Should we only include tarns that are natural, and have names? What about tarns that are so shallow they dry up each summer? Or tarns that are the smallest of pools? These are the questions that require answering in order to make an informed decision. John and Anne Nuttall answer this eloquently by stating that "It is impossible to be precise about it and any selection is bound to be a personal one, for when seen in sparkling sunlight under a blue sky even the merest puddle can look enchanting."<ref>Nuttall
This is a good model to work by. The Ordnance Survey maps provide the first step into deciding which tarns should be included, after which other selections can be included or excluded based on personal preference. Here, at The English Lakes, we like to include as many tarns as possible. There will certainly be tarns excluded from the onset, such as unnamed tarns and those on private land where access is not permitted. Ultimately, it comes down personal preference at the time.
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==Sports and recreation==
[https://www.swimthelakes.co.uk/10906/tarn-swimming/#:~:text=We%20are%20lucky%20to%20have%20over Tarn swimming] is also a popular sport for those with a sense of adventure willing to brave the cold waters in some of the wildest and remote locations the Lake District has to offer. One of the best tarns for swimming is [[Red Tarn (Helvellyn)|Red Tarn]] at [[Helvellyn]], dramatically lying at the base of the iconic [[Striding Edge]]. This tarn is home to the endangered fresh water Schelly fish, which is endemic here and at [[Brothers Water]], [[Haweswater]] and [[Ullswater]].
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==References==
==Sources==
*Blair, Don (2003). ''Exploring Lakeland Tarns: A Complete Guide''. Revised Edition. Keswick: Lakeland Manor Press.
*Nuttall, John & Anne (1995). ''The Tarns of Lakeland''. Volume 1: West. Milnthorpe: Cicerone Press.
*Smith, Alan (2014). ''The Smaller Lakes and Tarns of Lakeland''. The Landscapes of Cumbria No.6. Keswick: Rigg Side Publications.
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[[Category:Tarns of the Lake District]]
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