Cumbria (pop. 499,846) is a beautiful, mountainous region in the northwestern corner of England. It includes the Lake District, one of the most famous tourist regions in the United Kingdom. The solitude and beauty of the Lake District have inspired many poets and writers, including William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Cumbria is one of the least populated areas of England.
The historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland were formed in the area in the A.D. 1100’s. Cumberland and Westmorland merged to form the administrative county of Cumbria in 1974. This new county also took in part of northern Lancashire and a small part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The county of Cumbria was administered by a county council and six local government districts: Allerdale, which included the towns of Workington and Keswick; Barrow-in-Furness; Carlisle; Copeland, which included Whitehaven; Eden, which included Appleby and Penrith; and South Lakeland, which included Kendal and much of the southern part of the county. In 2023, the county of Cumbria was divided into two unitary authorities: (1) Cumberland, which includes much of historic Cumberland; and (2) Westmorland and Furness, which covers historic Westmorland.
People and government
Local customs and recreation.
Water sports are popular in Cumbria. There are good facilities for sailing, fishing, and water skiing, especially on Bassenthwaite, Derwent Water, Ullswater, and Windermere. Two of England’s main rock-climbing attractions are Wasdale Head, near Wast Water, and Great Langdale, near Ambleside.
Local pastimes include the guide race, a rough scramble up and down a steep fellside (hillside). Hound-trailing is a form of dog racing in which foxhounds follow a previously laid aniseed trail.
Wrestling in Cumbria has its own rules. At the start of a round, two wrestlers stand closely locked, each clasping hands behind the other’s back. The first wrestler to force his opponent to the ground wins.
Local government.
In 2023, the administrative county of Cumbria was divided into two unitary authorities (local government districts). The Cumberland unitary authority includes the Allerdale, Carlisle, and Copeland districts. The unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness includes Barrow-in-Furness, Eden, and South Lakeland. A single police force, the Cumbria Constabulary, covers the whole region. The Crown court meets at Carlisle, and there are magistrates’ courts in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, and Workington.
Economy
Agriculture.
Cumbria is mainly an agricultural area. Farms in the plain surrounding Carlisle produce cereals, root crops, dairy cows, and sheep. In Cumbria’s southern lowlands, farmers raise cattle. But most farmers in hilly areas raise sheep. The Forestry Commission has many areas of woodland in Cumbria.
Manufacturing
in Cumbria is concentrated in four main areas. They are the west coast, the Furness area, Kendal, and Carlisle.
West Cumbria’s economy was once dependent on steel production. Steelmaking is now less important, but a West Cumbrian factory still produces steel rails. The region also has a number of engineering factories. Newer industries include the production of chemicals, electronic goods, paper and board, and shoes.
The Furness area has major shipbuilding, paper, and pharmaceuticals industries. Kendal’s main manufactured products include shoes and high-quality paper. Carlisle has important food-processing, metal, and tire industries. It is also a large administrative and retail center.
Mining and quarrying
have been important in Cumbria for hundreds of years. Today’s mining industry produces gypsum, and a few small mines produce coal. In West Cumbria there is large-scale open-pit coal mining. Quarries in Cumbria produce limestone, granite, sand, gravel, and slate.
Tourism
is an important source of income in most of the Cumbria area. The Lake District attracts many thousands of tourists each year.
Transportation and communication.
In the Lake District, the mountains and lakes make transportation routes poor. Most of the main roads and railroads bypass the Lake District. The M6 highway, which carries much of the traffic between England and Scotland, runs through the eastern part of Cumbria. The highway runs close to the main railroad line linking England and Scotland.
Carlisle is the main communications center of Cumbria. ITV Border, an independent television company, is headquartered in the city. Carlisle also has a daily newspaper and a weekly newspaper. Another daily newspaper is published at Barrow-in-Furness. BBC local radio stations broadcast from Barrow and Carlisle.
Land
Location and size.
Cumbria’s western boundary is the Irish Sea. To the north, Cumbria borders on the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders. To the east, it borders on Northumberland, County Durham, and North Yorkshire. To the south, Cumbria borders on Lancashire. Cumbria measures about 70 miles (115 kilometers) from north to south and about 60 miles (95 kilometers) from east to west.
Land features.
Much of Cumbria is taken up by the Lake District. This area consists mainly of the Cumbrian Mountains and steep-sided valleys of volcanic rock. The Cumbrian Mountains include England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike, 3,209 feet (978 meters) above sea level. Other peaks are Scafell, 3,159 feet (963 meters); Helvellyn, 3,117 feet (950 meters); and Skiddaw, 3,054 feet (931 meters). Eastern Cumbria includes part of the Pennine range, including Cross Fell, 2,930 feet (893 meters), and Great Dun Fell, 2,779 feet (847 meters). To the west and south of the Lake District lies a coastal strip of lowland. To the north, a plain spreads from the Solway Firth to the Pennines.
The largest lake in the Lake District, Windermere, lies in the south. The longest river flowing through Cumbria is the Eden. The Derwent, which flows in a semicircle, is the longest river in the Lake District.
Climate.
Cumbria is one of England’s wettest regions. It also has great variety in its climate. The coastal area is fairly warm and dry and has little snow in winter. In the mountains, some places have an annual rainfall of 177 inches (450 centimeters). In eastern Cumbria, winters are severe and snowfalls are heavy. In the valleys of the Lake District, winters are usually mild. Average temperatures in Cumbria are about 37 °F (3 °C) in January and 59 °F (15 °C) in July.
History
The earliest settlers in the area arrived between 1800 and 1500 B.C. The Romans were active in Cumbria, which they protected against invasion from the north by building Hadrian’s Wall in the A.D. 100’s. This huge defense work stretched from the Solway Firth across all of northern England.
Between the 800’s and the 1100’s, Scandinavian people settled in the area. They gave Cumbria most of its place names and many of the words in its dialect. Later, the area was often in dispute between England and Scotland. In the 1640’s, during the English Civil War, Carlisle suffered one of the longest sieges in the history of England.
Cumbria is associated with many famous people. The portrait artist George Romney was born at Dalton-in-Furness. The poet William Wordsworth was born at Cockermouth, and later settled at Grasmere. Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey, who also lived in Cumbria, are known as the Lake Poets. Other writers who lived in Cumbria include John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter.
