DESPITE a summer with little sun, tourist numbers in the Lake District appear to be showing no signs of dropping.

The latest results from the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS), published by VisitEngland, revealed a record breaking performance for domestic tourism in the first quarter of the year - with 28.7 million trips made in England between January and April, an 18 per cent increase on last year.

And a survey of parents with children under 16 by freedomtogo.co.uk showed that the Lake District was the most desirable place to see - ahead of Cornwall, Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall and Loch Ness.

The effects of the tourism boom across the country are being felt in the Lakes - with two of the area's most popular attractions reporting good news.

Old Hall Farm, the historic Victorian working farm at Bouth, near Greenodd, has seen a 50 per cent increase in visitor numbers in July and the first week of August.

In its second full year of opening, Old Hall Farm has experienced its busiest month yet, with visitors flocking to the still relatively new attraction.

Owner Charlotte Sharphouse said: "Our goal for 2015 is to double our visitor numbers, and the last six weeks have made up for a quiet spring. It’s wonderful to see the farm packed out with families enjoying themselves and all the positive feedback we’ve been getting on Trip Advisor makes a great read."

Meanwhile, one of the region's most established attractions, Windermere Lake Cruises, has been named as one of England’s top ten ‘paid for’ visitor attractions.

The Annual Visitor Attractions Survey, collated by VisitEngland, revealed there were 1,469,189 passenger journeys on Windermere Lake Cruises’ 16-strong fleet of ‘steamers’, modern launches and wooden launches during 2014.

That is a 4.1 per cent increase on the previous year, placing the company sixth on the national list.

Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Winander Leisure, the parent company of Windermere Lake Cruises, which also owns the Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow, said: “Tourism makes a vital contribution to our regional and national economies, particularly in rural areas such as the Lake District National Park, and having such popular attractions in the heart of the Lake District delivers both direct and indirect benefits to the local economy.

"These figures again underline the enduring appeal of the Lakeland visitor experience, with significant growth in the overseas market in particular. Overall this is encouraging news, however, neither attraction can afford to rest on its laurels. We now face the challenge of continuing to attract both new and repeat visitors, and maintaining the 2014 performance throughout the 2015 season as well."