THE public has been thanked for resisting the urge to travel to Cumbria in large numbers to bask in the sunshine over the bank holiday weekend.

However, there were still some reports of gatherings at certain hotspots.

Ahead of bank holiday Monday, Cumbria Police asked the public to ‘think carefully’ before visiting the Lake District and Cumbria, reminding people that shops, public toilets and accommodation were closed.

And Tony Watson, head of commercial services and communications at the Lake District National Park Authority, said the national park remained ‘largely quiet’.

“People have listened to the requests from the mountain rescue teams and members of the local resilience forum for a slow return,” he said.

“For people who do wish to visit the Lake District, we’d urge you to plan ahead: visit saferlakes.co.uk to check car park availability, don’t take unnecessary risks on the water, roads or fells and please respect the communities who live here all year round.”

However, there were reports of gatherings at Devil’s Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale. Town councillor Mike Marczynski said it was ‘very, very busy’ when he drove past on Monday and that the pavement by Stanley Bridge (adjacent to Devil’s Bridge) was ‘chocka’ with cars.

Elsewhere, Ben Berry, district councillor for Windermere, said he had been told by members of the public that the town was not as busy as it was feared it was going to be.

Similarly, reports from around the Windermere and Ambleside areas on Sunday suggested it was quiet, although this was before the sunny weather the following day.

On Sunday morning, Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team did receive a call after a man and his teenage son ‘became disorientated’ while descending Scafell Pike in ‘reduced visibility and windy conditions’.

A spokesman for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) said Monday in the national park felt like a ‘typical bank holiday’ and was what the YDNPA would ‘expect when the weather is good’. He said the southern Dales was the busiest area.