Loweswater is one of the smaller
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s in the English
Lake District. The village of
Loweswater is situated to the east of the lake.
Geography
The lake is not far from
Cockermouth
Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...
and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
. The group of
fell
A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...
s to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater Fells and consists of
Mellbreak,
Gavel Fell,
Blake Fell
Blake Fell is a hill in the Western part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Loweswater Fells, an area of low grassy hills with steep sides overlooking the lake of Loweswater. The fell also overlooks the village of Lowes ...
,
Hen Comb and
Burnbank Fell. To the north of the lake lies the
Fellbarrow range.
The lake is unusual in the radial drainage pattern of the Lake District in draining towards the centre of the Lake District: its outfall, Dub Beck, becomes Park Beck and runs east or south-east into the north end of
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is long, wide and deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of ...
, close to that lake's exit. By way of the
River Cocker and
River Derwent, Loweswater's contents eventually reach the sea at
Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.
Locat ...
.
The immediate vicinity of Loweswater consists mainly of rolling hills, in contrast to the rocky
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
s found elsewhere in the Lake District (though Mellbreak, part of the Loweswater Fells, is steep and craggy). Loweswater remains relatively untouched by tourism, and is much quieter than the neighbouring lakes,
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically in Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. Owned by the National Trust, it forms pa ...
and Crummock Water. There is, however, a popular lakeside path, which goes right round the lake. The south side of the lake is the site of Holme Wood, a small forest. Within this forest is Holme Force, a waterfall of great beauty, which is rarely visited as it is not noticeable from the lakeside path. A road follows the north side of the lake, which links the A5086 with the Lorton Vale.
Etymology
"This is usually assumed (e.g. 'PN Cumb'
) to be 'the leafy lake' (ON 'laufsær', preserved in various instances of Swed
sh'Lövsjö(n)'), with the explanatory 'wæter'/'water' 'lake' added later"
Sport and leisure
Loweswater is owned by the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
. Rowing boats can be rented to use on the lake but use of one's own boat is not allowed. Recently the National Trust has done much work on the north side of the lakeside path, cutting down trees to improve views across the lake.
Every year Loweswater is the venue for th
Loweswater show which features traditional
Cumbrian sports and has competitions to win farmers' produce
References
External links
visitcumbria.com ''Loweswater''cockermouth.org.uk ''Loweswater Lake''
{{authority control
Lakes of the Lake District
Loweswater (village)
Cumberland