We can now count the Lake District alongside the Taj Mahal, the Tower of London and the Great Barrier Reef. Thank you to everyone who has supported us on the journey so far. Read our Blog articles and discover what makes our beautiful landscape so special. Would you like to contribute to the blog? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you, contact us
World Heritage UK’s summer workshop will look at what World Heritage Sites can do for nature. The workshop will be held at the University of Cumbria at Ambleside and presentations will be broadcast digitally too. There will also be the opportunity to undertake excursions into the Lake District, to see how the English Lake District World Heritage Site is managing its OUV and nature harmoniously.
03 Jul 2023
Dr Celia Caulcott has been appointed as the new Chair to lead the Lake District National Park Partnership. Celia took over the helm from Stephen Henwood CBE, who stood down at the 2nd May Partnership meeting, following five years in the role.
02 Jun 2023
St Kilda is the UK’s only dual/mixed Natural and Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to nearly 1 million seabirds, including the UK’s largest colony of Atlantic puffins. After 4,000 years of human presence on the island, St Kilda was evacuated on 29 August 1930 when the remaining 36 islanders decided to leave as their way of life was no longer sustainable.
02 Jun 2023
Through partnership working with the Tactical Visitor Management Group we have secured funding two run the popular shuttle buses to Buttermere and Wasdale again this summer. The £2 bus fare cap has been extended until 31 October 2023
26 May 2023
World Heritage UK’s summer workshop to be held at Ambleside University of Cumbria campus on 12th - 13th July will look at what World Heritage Sites can do for nature. The workshop will be held at the University of Cumbria at Ambleside and presentations will be broadcast digitally too. There will also be the opportunity to undertake excursions into the Lake District, to see how the English Lake District World Heritage Site is managing its OUV and nature harmoniously. LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE – BOOK EARLY https://worldheritageuk.org/events/world-heritage-sites-nature/
12 May 2023
Come to Brockhole on 18th April to find out more about World Heritage and what communities and others are doing to contribute to mitigate future climate change risks and impacts. How can cultural heritage conservation drive climate action?
04 Apr 2023
The Lake District National Park Authority has been working with a group of farmers to assist in capitalising on the existing English Lake District World Heritage Site branding and promote links between the farm product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. This will build awareness in key audiences the role played by farming to the World Heritage Site.
24 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
The programme was launched nationally by Defra in July 2021. It has recently been extended so it is now a four year project closing in 2025 worth over £3 million to the Lake District. The LDNPA has supported farmers and other land managers in delivering 88 projects across the Park, generating positive outcomes across all four FiPL themes of climate, nature, people, and place. This particular project involving Finsthwaite Farm was looking at promoting the use of the WHS brand to add value to local produce and promote links between the product and the cultural landscape in which it is produced. To build awareness in key audiences the role played by traditional Lakeland farming to the destination, local products and food. To look to provide support for 7 farmers and provide payment towards material to support sale and promotion of locally produced goods.
23 Mar 2023
An ambitious programme to restore and improve rivers in the Lake District, has recently beaten immense competition from across Europe to win the prestigious European Riverprize.
03 Mar 2023
Lake District National Park Design Code The Lake District National Park Authority has been successful in securing a place on the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Design Code Pathfinder Programme.
03 Mar 2023
Last year saw a wide range of heritage sites across the National Park receive national recognition by Historic England.
22 Feb 2023
UNESCO has issued new guidance on impact assessments to provide guidance on how to understand the impact of actions/developments on the World Heritage Site
02 Nov 2022
On the 16th November it is 50 years since the signing of the World Heritage Convention
01 Nov 2022
Fix the Fells is a partnership programme between the National Trust, the Lake District National Park, Natural England, Friends of the Lake District and the Lake District Foundation. The aim of the Fix the Fells partnership is to protect the spectacular Lake District landscape from erosion damage by repairing and maintaining upland paths. The project has won the Park Protector Award by the Campaign for National Parks.
22 Jul 2022
Jasmine Holliday had been appointed the new Farming Officer for the World Heritage Site and National Park
21 Jul 2022
As the weather hots up and the Lake District’s waters and tarns look all the more inviting, the Lake District National Park is offering expert help and guidance on how to keep safe in and on the water and reminding people that care is also needed out on the fells.
21 Jul 2022
Fifth anniversary
08 Jul 2022
There are parts of the English Lake District's World Heritage story that warrant further explanation. The traditional methods of farming the fells and mountains include hefting, a way of farming that is incredibly important in the Lakes, in the past but also now and into the future. Below Mervyn Edwards MBE, former upland farming adviser for MAFF, Defra and Natural England, and now member of the English Lake District World Heritage Site Technical Advice Group explains what hefting is.
02 Apr 2020
Following its successful launch and run at Keswick Museum, the World Heritage exhibition hits the road over the coming months.
12 Mar 2020
The reasons why the English Lake District is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or what our Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is, are complicated. They are both tangible and intangible and this makes explaining them difficult. So when the chance comes along to try and explain OUV via professional photography, you should really grasp the opportunity quickly.
10 Mar 2020
Local tour operator Hidden Lakeland highlights the unique experiences offered by exploring the English Lake District World Heritage Site by public transport.
17 Feb 2020
Sunday 12th January is the National Trust’s 125th anniversary. Happy birthday! The National Trust was established back in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. They shared a belief in the importance of historic places and green spaces, and fought to preserve them for everyone’s ‘enjoyment, refreshment and rest’. Today the National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity, with 5.6 million members, 65,000 volunteers and 14,000 staff, caring for over 250,000 hectares of farmland, 780 miles of coastline and 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves, for everyone, for ever.
12 Jan 2020
The English Lake District - a World Heritage Site is a new exhibition in Keswick Museum’s Fitz Park Gallery.
15 Oct 2019
The English Lake District World Heritage stand at 2019's Westmorland County Show, with some local businesses really using World Heritage status within their operations.
17 Sep 2019
Here is an example of a local business capitalising on the English Lake District’s World Heritage status, that is truly world-class. Farrer’s of Kendal have launched World Heritage Coffee. Their first limited edition of World Heritage Coffee is Finca El Edén which was launched at 2019’s Westmorland County Show. Farrer’s have sourced beans grown in the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, then roasted them in the Lake District.
16 Sep 2019
One of the legacies of the Cumbria Tourism England's World Heritage Story - The North project, was the creation of a business toolkit. This publication provides businesses with an introduction to the English Lake District World Heritage Site and how it could help them.
06 Sep 2019
How hotel Another Place in Ullswater uses World Heritage stories to strengthen its sense of place, and provide its guests a more authentic Lake District experience.
29 Aug 2019
The first book about the Lake District as a World Heritage Site has just been published. Titled Hows and Knotts: A Guide to Lakeland Views the book explains why the Lake District received the World Heritage accolade from UNESCO by taking the reader to 22 viewpoints in the National Park and then describing features of interest and why they are there.
23 Aug 2019
Lakeland Farm Visitor Centre is a new and exciting authentic farm visitor experience in The Lake District. Located at Ings, between Staveley and Windermere the centre offers a great day out for the whole family.
12 Jul 2019
Tuesday 9th July 2019 was the second anniversary of the English Lake District's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
11 Jul 2019
Cumbria Tourism has launched a £285,000 marketing campaign aiming to rebuild visitor confidence in train services and positively inspire potential visitors to the English Lake District.
03 Jun 2019
Thursday 18th April is World Heritage Day. World Heritage is the shared wealth of humanity, both natural and cultural. Protecting and preserving these valuable assets needs the collective efforts of all communities. This celebratory day provides the chance to raise awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it.
16 Apr 2019
England’s Northern World Heritage Story: The North is a VisitEngland Discover England Fund project led by Cumbria Tourism. Its primary goal is to raise awareness of and increase visitor numbers to the six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in across Northern England - Saltaire, Hadrian's Wall, Durham Castle & Cathedral, Studley Royal Park & Fountains Abbey, Liverpool Mercantile Maritime City and the English Lake District.
11 Apr 2019
Countrystride is a podcast initiative aiming to broadcast the very essence of the English Lake District World Heritage Site and its wider regional setting.
08 Apr 2019
Steve Wharton – storyteller and musician: inspired by the English Lake District World Heritage Site
29 Mar 2019
Twelve new slate plaques have been installed at Crow Park on the shores of Derwent Water at Keswick, the official site which celebrates the Lake District's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
26 Feb 2019
Jamie Lund, deputy chair of the WHS’ Technical Advisor Group and the National Trust’s Archaeologist & Cultural Heritage Advisor, recently represented the English Lake District World Heritage Site and the Lake District National Park Partnership at two conferences in San Francisco.
30 Nov 2018
The English Lake District is part of a UK family of 31 World Heritage Sites, from St Kilda in the north, to the Cornish Mines in the south. This family even extends beyond the UK’s shores to a handful of overseas territories, in the Atlantic and all the way to the Pacific. This group comes together once a year for the annual World Heritage:UK conference.
19 Oct 2018
Discover how a local business is inspired by the English Lake District World Heritage Site.
26 Sep 2018
The official launch of the new brand for the English Lake District World Heritage Site.
21 Sep 2018
Haweswater and its neighbour Ullswater Valley are two of the top places in the Lake District to discover a myriad of wildlife
30 Aug 2018
Poet Tony Walsh's celebration of the Lake District World Heritage Site and National Park.
17 Aug 2018
How is the John Muir Trust working with the natural – and cultural - landscape of the Lake District World Heritage Site?
10 Aug 2018
One year on from the momentous day in Krakow when the English Lake District became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the organisations behind the successful bid are celebrating the achievements to date and looking to the opportunities that lie ahead.
09 Jul 2018
It feels like the Lake District is riding on the crest of the wave and this is great news for culture and our visitors. March was a magnificent month for our wonderful region - and especially successful for the arts.
17 Apr 2018
On 26 March 2018, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales unveiled of the official plaque to designate the Lake District National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
29 Mar 2018
As His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, today unveiled a special installation to mark the National Park’s World Heritage inscription, he hailed future opportunities for the Lakes.
26 Mar 2018
His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, has been confirmed as the guest of honour at a special community event to mark the Lake District as a World Heritage Site on 26 March. The Prince of Wales will attend the event at Crow Park, Keswick, and unveil the official UNESCO plaque to mark the designation.
16 Mar 2018
As 2018 begins, the Lake District’s only coastal village, is celebrating its place on the map as one of the only places in the world to have a double World Heritage Site status.
16 Jan 2018
We were given the exciting opportunity to spread the word that the Lake District is now a World Heritage Site to millions of people across the UK in September. Thanks to Royal Mail all stamped post sent on 28 September had the greeting 'Celebrating the Lake District World Heritage Site #WeAreTheLakes'.
06 Oct 2017
Lake District fans across the UK are being urged to head to the post-box this week (27, 28 Sept) to secure a special postmark in celebration of its new World Heritage Site status.
26 Sep 2017
It’s official - the Lake District National Park has been granted World Heritage Site status. So to celebrate, this summer we're inviting visitors to Cumbria's shows and festivals to join us on a free 360 virtual tour of this iconic cultural landscape. First up, the BirdHIVE experience returns to Kendal Calling in Lowther Deer Park, 28 - 30 July, with brand new 360 VR Lake District scenes.
20 Jul 2017
The news from Krakow on 9th July 2017 will prove to be one of the Lake District’s most significant milestones.
18 Jul 2017
The Lake District has become the UK's 31st World Heritage Site, inscribed under the cultural landscape category.
09 Jul 2017
William Wordsworth, in The Prelude, describes how the natural world of the Lake District meant so much to him from early childhood and how essential nature is to the human soul. The Lake District is still an area where there are many special places for nature and wildlife managed for the intrinsic value of their biodiversity and geology, for the benefits they provide and for the pleasure they bring to locals and visitors alike.
03 Jul 2017
The National Trust’s places here in the Lakes are up and running for 2017. So what’s next? Well something big is expected.
18 Apr 2017
Brockhole, the Lake District Visitor Centre will host an exclusive World Heritage interactive exhibition wall from Easter onwards, leading up to the announcement of potential inscription as a World Heritage site in the summer.
12 Apr 2017
Although the beauty and the scenic landscapes of the Lake District have inspired several writers over the centuries, the one that has become synonymous with the National Park is William Wordsworth, one of the country’s best-loved poets. World Heritage Blog post courtesy of holidaycottages.co.uk
31 Mar 2017
The Lake District National Park celebrates the Lake District World Heritage Bid with World Heritage Little Herdys.
17 Jan 2017
A flock of limited edition Little Herdys has been specially created to support the Lake District’s bid for World Heritage status and they’re available just in time for Christmas!
13 Dec 2016
This year we’ve been celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the world famous author, illustrator, farmer and supporter of the National Trust. To bring the year to a fitting close, we are delighted to announce the launch of the National Trust Beatrix Potter Awards.
28 Nov 2016
Last week we completed a major milestone in the Lake District’s nomination to be a World Heritage Site, with two expert assessors from UNESCO’s cultural heritage advisory body visiting us. It was a near impossible task to do this wonderful place justice in just a week, but the Lake District National Park, together with a range of organisations from the partnership, pulled together a fantastic programme showcasing three key themes of the bid: identity, inspiration and conservation.
11 Oct 2016
The Lake District National Park Partnership is celebrating this week after its ‘Evolving Masterpiece’ communications campaign for UNESCO World Heritage status was named as a finalist in the Northern Marketing Awards 2016.
21 Sep 2016
The dramatic Lakeland peaks, lakes and landscapes have been providing creative inspiration for generations and Lakes Culture has continued to seek out the talent in recent years too, with a series of stunning artworks that captivate imaginations across the county.
21 Sep 2016
From today (26 August 2016), fans of the Lake District National Park will be able to soar like a bird, scale a mountain and ripple across the top of a lake – within just three minutes, by experiencing BirdHIVE – a 360 degree virtual flight tour of the iconic Lake District.
26 Aug 2016
Euston Station welcomed ‘a host of golden daffodils’ earlier today, as part of a new campaign to encourage the public to see the Lake District as ‘Wordsworth Country’ once again. The Wordsworth Trust wants to get ‘Wordsworth Country’ back in the popular imagination, and raise awareness of the many sites of natural beauty that helped inspire the writer whose works have helped to draw visitors to the region which he described as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.
03 Aug 2016
Jane Watson, Marketing & Communications for BP150 Project, National Trust tells us all about her work for the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter, just one of the writers inspired by our beautiful, World Heritage nominated cultural landscape...
27 Jul 2016
We’re looking forward to launching Bird HIVE, a 360 degree virtual flight tour of the iconic Lake District, at Kendal Calling and Lakes Alive festivals this summer in support of the World Heritage bid. Festival goers are being given the chance to soar like a bird, scale a mountain and ripple across the top of a lake, within just three minutes, taking a bird’s eye view of four iconic Lake District locations.
25 Jul 2016
Lake District festival goers are being given the chance to soar like a bird, scale a mountain and ripple across the top of a lake – within just three minutes, by experiencing Bird HIVE – a 360 degree virtual flight tour of the iconic Lake District. Bird HIVE is an innovative, interactive virtual reality experience showcased at Kendal Calling and Lakes Alive festivals this summer in celebration of the Lake District National Park bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
15 Jul 2016
London is unshockable. So when two young women and a 9 year old girl, dressed in white long-johns and red shorts started wrestling on the lawn opposite Big Ben, the reaction was curiosity rather than surprise. The wrestlers were Tracy, Connie and Rosie Hodgson from Dent who gamely agreed to the capital day out to promote Ambleside Sports, the new women’s world championship in Cumberland wrestling which will be staged there in July.
27 Jun 2016
This year’s Keswick Mountain Festival (Friday May 20) will mark the start of a rally call to all who love the region to unite in their support for the Lake District World Heritage bid by declaring ‘I’ve herd’.
17 May 2016
Photographer and Writer team Rob and Harriet Fraser have chosen seven spectacularly located trees across Cumbria for a two-year project called The Long View. They are recording their walks to these trees through photography and writing, and are leading a public walk to each of the trees through the summer and autumn of 2016. Find out how you can get involved.
18 Apr 2016
TV Chef Peter Sidwell has officially 'backed the bid' and has joined the campaign for the Lake District to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. The team here asked Peter to share with us how he has been inspired by the beautiful surroundings and he certainly didn't disappoint...
23 Mar 2016
We asked local artist Mandy Allan to tell us all about the World Heritage inspired ewe she created for the Calvert Trust 'Go Herdwick' Trail, which starts later this month.
14 Mar 2016
The English Lake District has become the UK’s latest nomination for World Heritage site status following confirmation of the bid being received by UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency.
08 Mar 2016
Let’s take a look at some of the unique and spectacular places around the world that the Lake District could potentially be listed alongside if we are lucky enough to be granted World Heritage status.
29 Jan 2016
Herdy, the iconic Lake District sheep brand has joined a growing list of organisations to state their support for the Lake District's quest for World Heritage status, becoming the lead commercial collaboration partner and creating a unique ‘United by Herdy’ logo for the bid campaign. The friendly face of Herdy will now be used to encourage visitors, residents and everyone who loves the Lake District to unite in their pride and back the bid.
21 Nov 2015
Richard Ingham tells us how he discovered all about the Lake District's World Heritage Bid on the recent Sky Ride that he organised through Grasmere
11 Nov 2015
Children from schools across South Lakeland have been celebrating as their attempt to write the World’s Longest Letter rolls in at a whopping 290 metres in length – as high as the smallest Wainwright fell, Castle Crag!
22 Oct 2015
TV Chef Peter Sidwell has officially 'backed the bid' and become the latest supporter to join the campaign for the Lake District to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. The team here asked Peter to share with us how he has been inspired by the beautiful surroundings and he certainly didn't disappoint...
09 Oct 2015
Residents and visitors to Cumbria are being called up to write a message of support for the region’s UNESCO World Heritage Bid by visiting Brockhole -the Lake District Visitor Centre - and in the process boost the attempt to write the World’s Longest Letter.
20 Aug 2015
Find out the next 5 reasons why we believe the Lake District is so special...
05 Aug 2015
The Lake District is a cultural landscape that has inspired generations of artists, writers, industrialists, entrepreneurs and farmers to shape the world around them. It is continually changing as communities, visitors and businesses blend together to create an evolving masterpiece.
13 Jul 2015