As Cumbria starts a new working week in the aftermath of the unprecedented weather that has hit the area, the county’s leading tourism organisation, Cumbria Tourism is keen to stress to visitors that Cumbria is still very much open for business.

Ian Stephens, Chief Executive at Cumbria Tourism is calling for visitors to continue to support the county’s vital tourism industry during this difficult time to ensure that businesses, lives, and infrastructure can be rebuilt.

Mr Stephens said: “Given the recent events over the past few days, it is more important than ever that people realise that, despite media reporting, Cumbria is not underwater. The Lake District and Cumbria is a vast area and there are many parts of the county that have been largely unaffected and continue to be accessible.

“In conjunction with partners across the county, we will be doing all we can to help those tourism businesses; specifically in the Cockermouth area that have suffered flood damage and our key aim will be to ensure that they are in a position to be open and trading again as soon as possible.

“In many cases this will take a number of months but tourism businesses in the Western Lake District have a strong sense of community spirit and I have no doubt that they will step up to the mark and show just how resilient they can be.

There are around 80 tourism businesses in the Cockermouth catchment area and Cumbria Tourism believes that at least half will have been severely disrupted.

However, in order to get a clear picture of the impact that the floods have had on Cumbria’s tourism industry, Cumbria Tourism is today surveying its 3,000+ member businesses and will report on the findings in due course.

Tourism is one of Cumbria’s most important industries and over 15.3 million visitors come to the county every year and bring more than £1.1 billion into the local economy.

Mr Stephens continued: “We appreciate that this is a very difficult time for tourism businesses but we would ask that they feed their concerns into us to enable us to influence key decision makers and funders across the county to access as much help and support as we can on their behalf.”

“We have been overwhelmed by the messages of support and offers of help that have been received both from members of the public via outlets like our faceboook fan page and from accommodation providers who are offering reduced rates for people who are currently not able to return to their homes.

“Cumbria has triumphed from adversity in the past – from our recovery after Foot and Mouth in 2001 to the Carlisle floods of 2005, and it makes me proud to be part of such a strong, world class tourism industry that is recognised on a global scale.

“We must pull together and be positive going into 2010 and show the world that Cumbria is open for tourism business.”

If visitors are concerned about flooding, they are advised to contact Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visit the Environment Agency website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk and up to the minute information on travel and transport in and around Cumbria is available from www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria and www.cumbria.gov.uk.

Cumbria Tourism is advising anyone travelling to the Lake District this weekend to check before they start their journey.

The area is currently experiencing severe rains and flooding, which have left many areas under water and roads and rail links badly affected.

Some areas of Scotland and north Wales have also been affected by the weather in the last few days.

Cumbria Tourism is advising people planning to visit the Lake District in Cumbria over this weekend to continue with their travel plans provided they check in advance with the venue or accommodation provider about the situation in each individual area prior to commencing their journey.

Ian Stephens, chief executive at Cumbria Tourism has said that it is hugely important that visitors understand that there are many parts of the county that are accessible and safe to visit this weekend.

Mr Stephens said: “The Lake District and Cumbria is a vast area and is much larger than people realise. It is safe to travel with care on major roads, although there are still examples of localised flooding and road closures, specifically in the Cockermouth and Keswick areas.”

The Lake District is England’s largest national park and covers 885 square miles and is home to over 214 mountains. Cumbria is also the second largest county in the country and his heavily dependent on the tourism trade, with over 15.3 million visitors coming to the county every year, bringing more than £1.1 billion into the local economy.

Mr Stephens added: “Most of the rain has now stopped across the county and the Environment Agency is expecting a break in the weather, which should result in a fall in river levels and an overall more positive picture across the county.

“There are still a range of things to see and do and places to stay and dine. Many key events are still going ahead as planned this weekend including the world-renowned Kendal Mountain Film Festival. The festival is Europe’s biggest mountain culture festival and attracts a worldwide audience each year including many budding filmmakers into the popular Adventure Film Academy.”

Concerned visitors are advised to contact Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visit the website at the Environment Agency.

Trains currently not operating include Carlisle to Maryport in Cumbria, Carlisle to Carstairs, Dundee to Aberdeen, and Glasgow to Dunblane.

With a population of 28,000, the Lake District market town of Kendal was once a manufacturing hub of the north, nicknamed the “Auld Grey Town”. More recently, it has been known for the eponymous mint cake, which powered Sir Edmund Hillary up Everest.

But the town is celebrated for another reason – its mountain film festival. Among mountaineers and adventurers, it’s as important a date on the calendar as Cannes or Sundance is to a movie critic.

Next week (November 19-22), up to 7,000 visitors will descend on the town to catch a glimpse of the best high-adrenalin action from the world’s top adventure film-makers.

“It’s the social event of the year for anyone who’s into mountains,” event director Clive Allen says. “And among the world’s mountain film festivals Kendal is known as the party one, no doubt helped by taking place in a former brewery.”
He adds that one of the main attractions is the chance to meet the stars of adventure and exploration. “There are not many sports where you can guarantee you will be rubbing shoulders at the bar with the top performers.”

Among the headline acts are British climber Leo Houlding, who has just returned from a 14-day epic ascent of Mt Asgard, a 1,400m peak in the Canadian Arctic. His achievement left the climbing community in awe.
Not only did Houlding parachute in as if he was in the SAS, he also base jumped off the summit. The film of the adventure, by climbing team-mate Alastair Lee, is one of the most eagerly anticipated in the festival line-up.
“If the experience had been any harder we would have freaked. It was really dangerous, too,” Houlding says. “Due to global warming there was a lot of rock fall, house size boulders were coming down. It was way more ‘out there’ than the Himalayas.”

Also speaking is the French “Spiderman” Alain Robert, who solo climbs skyscrapers with no ropes or safety equipment. (“He’s never spoken in the UK before,” Allen says.) In addition, Tarka L’Herpiniere and Katie-Jane Cooper will describe their recent fight for survival in Patagonia (featured on these pages recently).

Other highlights include the premiere of The Wildest Dream, a film about Mallory and Irvine’s fateful climb on Everest in 1924. And there are dozens of speakers, from Himalayan climbing legend Doug Scott to Major Phil Packer, the Iraq war veteran who, despite being paraplegic, has gone on to run the marathon, row the channel and climb the 3,000ft-high vertical rock face of El Capitan in California by making the equivalent of 4,254 pull-ups.

Another person who has come back from serious injury is the 33-year-old Norwegian base jumper Karina Hollekim. Until a few years ago she was one of the world’s top extreme athletes, regularly photographed skiing off cliffs and base jumping off mountains. Then, in 2006, a routine jump went wrong, her parachute failed, she hit the ground and shattered both legs. Lucky to survive, she was told she would never walk again. Three years and 20 operations later she has done just that.

Skiing and base jumping are out of the question, but Hollekim will tell the Kendal audience how she has been forced to be content with more mundane challenges, such as finding the motivation to face the day. “I appreciate things in a different way because I know how it feels to have what you love taken away from you,” she says.
Despite the extreme nature of her chosen career path, she feels her story is universal. “We all have setbacks, whether illness or the loss of someone close. We all need to find the strength and motivation to get back up on our feet,” Hollekim explains.

“Hers is a fantastic story,” Allen says. “She really bust herself up.”

Hollekim is speaking as part of The North Face Free Flight Night. Other themes in the programme of lectures and films include mountain biking and adrenalin. There will also be mountain art and literature on display. And there is an adventure film academy for anyone looking to get into film-making themselves.

Tickets (01539 725 133; www.mountainfest.co.uk)

Telegraph.co.uk

The Lake District has been identified as one of the best places in the world to visit by travel guide company Lonely Planet.

Described in its new Best in Travel 2010 publication as being “all that’’s green, great and grand about the English landscape”, the area was praised for its historical significance, the abundance of fell-walking opportunities and the “gastronomic adventure” available to those that book Lake District holidays.

It cited visiting the former homes of William Wordsworth – Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount – as being an essential experience, along with taking a cruise on Coniston Water and tackling Striding Edge, the most famous ridge train in England.

And visitors will also have a variety of events to witness during their stay, Lonely Planet said, including the Dalemain Marmalade Festival, which takes place every February.

Visitors have also been advised to hire a canoe or Kayak and explore Windermere, with the Daily Mail stating recently that this is one of the best ways to explore the lake.

Cumbria and the Lake District could be getting tourist flights. Overseas holidaymakers may be able to get flights to Carlisle Airport from next year.

The owners of Carlisle Airport are currently investing approximately £25m in developing the base, reports The Westmorland Gazette. The airport is presently used by light aircraft, but the development could see owners of Lake District cottages benefitting from larger flights from overseas and within the UK.

Andy Judge, the airport’s director, said: “We need to have a proper functioning airport to say that the region…is ready for business and to support the region as a whole. Once we have improved the facilities and brought in the airlines, then we shall be ready for bringing in passenger routes.”

New flights would make Cumbria holidays a more viable option for the overseas market, Judge added. The improvements could link the region to destinations such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, all major hubs for connecting international flights.

Cumbria’s Chamber of Commerce is also enthusiastic about the developments. The organisation’s Rob Johnston said: “The reason is not about the volume of passengers, it is the statement that Cumbria is on the map and is connected. We have got a great offer and the airport helps us make that offer more accessible.” The improvement works at Carlisle Airport will begin next year.