Cumbrian Mountains

The Cumbrian Mountains rise in north-west England, a rugged chain between the Irish Sea and the Eden valley. They stretch across Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, forming the backbone of the Lake District. The mountains meet fertile farmland along the Solway coast and the Eden plain, while coal seams beneath the Irish Sea feed nearby industries. The range reaches its highest point at Scafell Pike, a 978-metre summit of ancient rock. Formed in the Tertiary period, the mountains were later carved by Quaternary glaciers into deep valleys and corries. These ice-age hollows now hold the lakes that give the Lake District its name. Several rivers descend from the heights, feeding the surrounding lowlands. Visitors find wide moorland plateaus and steep-sided valleys shaped by past ice flows. The slopes carry rough grassland and patches of heather, while the valleys open into quiet lakes and rushing becks. The contrast between high crags and sheltered waters makes the Cumbrian Mountains a landscape of dramatic scale and quiet beauty.