The Lake District is about 34 miles across and its unique geological features are the result of periods of glaciation, thlatest of which ended around 15,000 years ago.

The results of these periods of glaciation include the ice-formed wide valleys, of which many are now filled with the lakes that give the park its name.

The upper areas contain a notable amount of glacial cirques, which are mostly filled with lakes. The higher mountains are rocky, with lower hills being more open moorland, notable for its dense coverage of bracken and heather.

Below the tree line, native woodlands filled with oak sit beside nineteenth century pine plantations.

A fair proportion of the land is boggy much of the time, due to the high average rainfall in the area.

The Lake District is one of the more densely populated national parks. It has a total area is nearly 885 square miles, and was designated as a National Park in 1951.

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