Talking all things Westmorland and Cumbria with Westmorland Gazette columnist Andrew Thomas.

Last week I wrote about how important it is for all of us to be welcoming and show a positive attitude to visitors to help encourage them to come to the Lake District and keep the economy vibrant during these difficult times.

Of course, some honeypot areas can become very crowded and so we need to encourage visitors and local residents heading out for the day to consider spending time in some of the quieter areas, which also need their custom.

Go to the Langdale valley but also venture to Ennerdale. Spend time around Windermere but don’t forget the likes of Buttermere and Bassenthwaite Lake. The Eden Valley and the west Coast of Cumbria are well worth your time.

We should also remember there are great places to visit in neighbouring counties, such as Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Which has the best landscape?

I grew up in Yorkshire but have lived more than half my life in Cumbria, so have a strong affinity for both.

I love Cumbria for its tarns, lakes, becks and fells. I enjoy the changing skyline as you head into different areas and trying to work out exactly which fell is which. And the area also has a strong cultural landscape, with its links to Wordsworth, Potter, Ransome and Wainwright, which adds to that feeling you are in a very special place.

But Yorkshire’s landscape holds its own in comparison. Just a few miles from the Lake District is the distinctive Yorkshire scenery of limestone pavements, rocky crags, sometimes bleak but always majestic moorland and sheep grazing in fields enclosed by ancient dry-stone walls.

Take a trip down the A65 to Ingleton, Clapham and Settle and maybe drive over the moors to Malham to visit Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss.

Or perhaps travel a little further and explore that string of lovely villages on the banks of the River Wharfe, starting in the south with Appletreewick, then Burnsall, Grassington, Kettlewell, Starbotton and Buckden.

There are some amazing walks to enjoy in this area and, like the Lakes, it’s easy to get away from the crowds.

Each landscape has its own merits. Particularly in these uncertain times, let’s be thankful that we live in an area with easy access to such amazing places.