This campaign has now closed
The National Trust and the Lake District are inextricably entwined – in 1902 one of the very first countryside purchases of our organisation was at Brandlehow, on the shores of Derwent Water, prompted by Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, one of the three founders of the National Trust. Since then the National Trust has acquired around 25% of the Lake District National Park through purchase or donation. This huge estate now covers around 51,000 hectares and includes 91 separate farms and, with leased land, some 22,500 hectares of common land. We also own 21,000 Herdwick sheep, which form the landlord’s flocks on our farms. It includes England’s highest mountain – Scafell Pike – and deepest lake – Wastwater. Almost all the central upland area and major valley heads is owned or managed by the Trust, including well-loved fells as Great Gable, Harrison Stickle or Crinkle Crags, together with 24 lakes and tarns, such as Grasmere and Buttermere.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Ownership brings with it a substantial responsibility and as a conservation organisation we invest heavily in conserving and improving the quality of the Lake District environment and the well-being of its interrelated parts. Since the early 1900’s we have repaired many kilometres of upland footpath, planted new woodlands, maintained dry-stone walls and upland hedgerow and helped bring thousands of hectares into positive agricultural management. However, behind the beauty there’s a constant threat. It is impossible to say what the Lake District would be like today without the care invested by the National Trust; but it is now under greater pressure than ever before from a lack of resources and forces of change that will influence its future, including erosion, climate change, increased tourism, pressure on the environment and agricultural reform. To address the challenges facing the Lake District, the National Trust has embarked on an exciting and ambitious vision to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy this special place for centuries to come. Our Vision for the Lake District is for a place that remains one of the nation’s most cherished landscapes. A place of great scenic beauty, where the unique combination of soft light, mirrored lake and silhouetted fell continue to inspire both resident and visitor. It is a robust landscape – a place founded on the principle that everything stems from the well-being and high quality of its natural and cultural environment. £100 will pay for a stretch of stone pitched footpath to be completely repaired.