England's largest National Park includes Scafell Pike - its highest mountain, Wastwater - its deepest lake and thriving communities like Keswick and Bowness-on-Windermere. The Lake District is unique in England for its abundant and varied freshwater habitats. Cool, clear lakes, tarns and rivers are nationally important for their range of habitats, and species such as vendace, charr, crayfish and schelly. Nutrient-poor lakes, such as Wast Water, contrast with more nutrient-rich lakes like Esthwaite Water. The lakes and tarns give the Lake District a quality of scenery and recreational resource found nowhere else in England.
The National Park has the highest concentration of outdoor activity centres in the UK. It is the birthplace of mountaineering and there is a tradition of unrestricted access to the fells together with an extensive network of public rights of way. Recreational walking can be traced from Wordsworth's 'Guide to the Lakes' to the guides of more recent writers such as Wainwright. There's a huge range of tourist facilities, attractions and accommodation.
