Lake District locals have spoken of their grievance with thrill-seeking activities that is turning the national park into something like a theme park.
According to several members of the community, attractions such as zip wires are subsequently attracting the wrong type of people to the area
Helen Pickles, a Destination Expert at The Telegraph, wrote: "In the early 1950s, the idea of a caravan park on the shores of Lake Windermere caused outraged speeches in Parliament. It would attract the wrong sort of person, people feared, who would destroy the area’s tranquillity.
"What would those Parliamentarians make of 2025’s plans for a high-flying zip wire off the crags at Honister Pass, or an underground zip wire whooshing through a cavern system near the tiny village of Elterwater?
"As with the caravan park – the now well-established Hill of Oaks – both will soon become part of the Lake District landscape. Is the National Park turning into a theme park, or is it the natural evolution of a holiday destination that needs to keep up with modern visitor demands?
"I’m pondering this as I stand in Elterwater Quarry, in Langdale. Owned by Burlington Stone, who, together with Zip World, an adventure experiences operator, have won approval to develop the cavern zip wire ride – or “heritage experience”, as they call it – it’s no thing of beauty.
"A broad expanse of hardcore, scattered juggernaut-size tyres, piles of slate waste, rusting fuel tanks, and a row of corrugated iron buildings – one of which will be turned into a visitor centre."
Pickles then hosts interviews with various members of the Lake District community, from the director of sustainable development to locals who worked in the quarries.
See here for the whole article.
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She concluded: "What is sometimes forgotten is that much of the Lake District’s landscape is not natural; it’s been shaped or exploited by humans: copper mines in Coniston, lead mines in Borrowdale, slate quarries in Langdale, conifer forests on Whinlatter, even Haweswater and Thirlmere are man-made lakes (reservoirs, albeit on the site of smaller lakes).
"And I’m guessing there would be wild objections if someone, today, proposed a seven-mile-long, narrow-gauge, steam-hauled railway up the quiet Eskdale valley from the sleepy coastal village of Ravenglass, something which – of course – already exists.
"Then there’s the tourism economy, which brings in £2.4bn annually, and is the area’s biggest employer by a country mile. The harsh fact is, that without tourism, communities will stagnate and dwindle"
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