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The Lake District Directory From walkthefells.net
 

Covering some 885 square miles (2,292 sq km) the Lake District is to many people, the most beautiful place on Earth. In this corner of Northwest England you'll find spectacular mountain scenery, wild and lonely moorland, secluded dales, picturesque lakes & rivers, beautiful areas of woodland, bustling towns and quiet stone built villages; something to satisfy every ones taste.
 
 

Select a list from the Cross Reference Table
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 Tarns
 Lakes              
 Landscape              
 Town / Village              
 Churches
 Passes              
 Buildings  
 Bridges
 Attractions    
 Historic Sites    
 
 

Recent updates

    

Overview Maps
 

 Mosedale Bridge

Now this is not what you'd expect to find here at all. To say the least, Mosedale is a wet and boggy area, usually deserted, and has a distinct feeling of isolation. Then, in the middle of nowhere you come across a bridge as sturdy as this one. I'm sure there are many other places in the Lake District that would benefit from the same.
 
 

 Clapper Bridge Deepdale

This type of bridge, referred to as a clapper bridge, is probably the simplest means of crossing a narrow stream that anyone could ever wish to come up with. No doubt people all over the world have been employing this method for hundreds if not thousands of years. The Lake District, as we all know, has countless becks, gills and streams so it stands to reason that this area has its fair share of clapper bridges.
 
 

 Field Broughton church

 

Sorry, but I don't have any information about this church.
 
 

 Winster Church

Holy Trinity Church was built in 1875
 
 

 Scale Bridge

Scale Bridge is a lovely double stone bridge found at Buttermere Dubs, between Crummock Water and Buttermere. It isn't the only place in this area with Scales in its name however, there are Scale Knott on Mellbreak, Scale Island in Crummock and an area of fellside near the bridge simply called 'Scales'. To reach the bridge, leave Buttermere village past the Fish Hotel, follow the track for a short distance as if heading to the lake, then turn off to your right through farmland to reach the bridge.
 
 

 Mosedale Beck Bridge

 

Despite the closeness to Mosedale Cottage, which now serves as a mountain bothy, this bridge over Mosedale Beck really does feel like it is in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure how old this specific bridge is, but there has probably been a crossing here for centuries as the bridge is found on what used to be one the drove routes across to the eastern side of the county.

The easiest way to reach this spot would be from Swindale Head, although I'm sure the hapless navigator or the inexperienced would find this to be an extremely confusing place if the cloud was to come down.
 
 

 Crosthwaite Church (South)

The earliest written evidence of a more permanent Christian ministry is a reference to "... the spring of the chapel of St Mary..." in Deeds of Grant of land made by Gilbert, son of Roger Fitz-Reinfred in 1187. There are a number of springs near the present Church (or Kirk) Hill rising behind the church. The spring could have been a "Holy Well" or it could have served as a water supply for monks living at the chapel.

In another Deed, dated about 1215, Gilbert Fitz-Reinfred and his wife Helwise confirmed to the monks of St Mary's Abbey in York ". . . inter alia the churches of Eversheim, Bietham, Kirkeby in Kendale with their chapels." Again, this points to there having been a chapel at Crosthwaite within the Parish of Heversham since the late twelfth century and, quite possible, much earlier.
 
 

 Low and High Dam Tarn (s)

High and Low Dam tarn (s) are to be found only a short walk through the woods above Finsthwaite. A circuit of these two tarns makes for a very enjoyable couple of hours walking. Water from the tarn used to provide the power for the nearby Stott Park Bobbin Mill.
 
 

 Cartmel Priory

When William Marshal founded Cartmel Priory in about 1189 he was not setting up a fine building in a lovely part of the country, but a spiritual power house. His intention was that the thirteen monks who came here from Bradenstoke priory in Wiltshire were to be the founding members of a community which would offer daily worship to god and prayer for his family in perpetuity. The priory church is still a working house of prayer as it has been for more than 800 years, though the details of worship have changed during that time.

Soon after King Henry II agreed to the foundation, work would have begun to provide a place of worship and living quarters for the monks. The living quarters were probably, at first, temporary structures, the work being concentrated on the church that may well have been built on the site of the pre-existing chapel. Later, permanent domestic buildings of stone were built projecting out of the south transept. these would include the chapter house, where the chapter of the Augustinian rule was read daily, business transacted, faults corrected, punishments inflicted and other decisions made. Beyond this would be the refectory, kitchens, storerooms, brewery and latrines.
 
 

 Slate Bridge Trout Beck

 

This ancient looking bridge, tucked away on the western side of Troutbeck Tongue is definitely one of the Lake District's hidden gems. And I'd find it hard to believe that anyone could pass this way and fail to get some satisfaction from discovering this spot.

The summit of Troutbeck Tongue can be reached from the bridge, although the path is indistinct in parts.
 
 
      
I thought of this idea purely by accident while I was using a map to make myself a list of the churches I still needed to visit. I was thinking to myself, that had they been marked a bit more distinctly then it would have made the job a much easier. It was then that I had one of those "penny dropping" moments; if it would would make this easier for me, then perhaps other people may find it useful as a tool not only to see at a glance how churches, tarns Etc are distributed throughout the Lake District, but to open the page for chosen place.

Each entry in the directory database is marked on the map with a red flag. To open a specific place, simply click the flag.

For the time being I've only created overview maps for churches and tarns. As more articles are added to the other categories I will create additional maps.

 
 

Glossary of 'church' terms


click the picture to open the glossary of church terms page.
 
 

Calendar of updates

To view a greater selection of website updates open the "Calendar of Updates" page. Not only does this include additions to the directory, but it has details of walking updates.