Tarns of the Lake District: Difference between revisions
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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, ''Exploring Lakeland Tarns'', p.10</ref> In addition to industrial purposes, this also includes the draining of tarns to create more land for new agricultural ambitions. The more controversial interference would be our justification for aesthetics, such as that fine example seen in the Victorian landscaped [[Tarn Hows]], near [[Coniston]]. However we look at the humble tarn, it can be difficult to define what these diverse bodies of water actually are. Ask anyone familiar with the Lake District and the chances are they would be aware of tarns and explain what one is, even if never having visited one in person.
The word ''tarn'' is evocative of something that would not be out of place in Tolkien's Middle Earth.
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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.</blockquote/>
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?
==Number of tarns==
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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
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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