GCSE Revision

Land use and tourism in glaciated uplands

Economic activities

Glaciated uplands, like the Lake District, support a range of activities:

  • walking, climbing, sailing and sightseeing, attracted by the mountains and lakes.
  • Farming: the steep slopes, thin soils and wet climate suit hill sheep farming, such as the hardy Herdwick sheep of the Lake District.
  • Forestry: conifer plantations grow well on poor upland soils, as at Grizedale and Whinlatter forests.
  • Quarrying: for slate, such as at Honister, and for stone for building and roads.

The Lake District National Park Authority must balance these with : protecting the landscape and its wildlife.

Key terms

Conflicts

ActivityConflicts
Walkers leave gates open and their dogs worry sheep; crowds and traffic spoil the peace for residents
FarmingOvergrazing by sheep reduces wildflowers and trees; farmers may want to fence land walkers want to cross
ForestryDark rows of conifers look out of place and support less wildlife than native woodland
QuarryingNoise, dust, lorries and scars on the landscape, in an area visited for its beauty; but it provides local jobs

National parks have two aims: to conserve the landscape and to help people enjoy it. Where these clash, conservation comes first.

Tourism in the Lake District

About 18 million visitors come to the Lake District each year, according to the National Park Authority.

Attractions:

  • Scenery: mountains, lakes and valleys carved by ice.
  • Activities: fell walking, climbing, sailing, kayaking and cycling.
  • Culture: the homes of the poet William Wordsworth and the writer Beatrix Potter.
  • popular places such as Windermere, Keswick and Grasmere.

Tourism brings jobs and money: the national park accounts for over half of Cumbria's tourism spending and tourism jobs.

Key terms

The impacts of tourism

  • Congestion: most visitors come by car, so narrow roads jam and car parks overflow, especially at honeypot sites on summer weekends.
  • millions of boots wear away the vegetation on popular paths. Rain then washes the soil away, leaving wide scars of bare rock and gravel.
  • House prices: many homes are bought as or holiday lets, pushing prices beyond what many local people can afford. At the 2011 Census, 24% of the national park's homes had no permanent resident; in Keswick, about half of homes are second homes or holiday lets.
  • Wildlife and water: litter, noise, and the wash from boats on the lakes.

Key terms

Managing tourism

  • Footpaths: the Fix the Fells partnership repairs eroded mountain paths, often by stone pitching (setting large stones into the path). It is slow and costly: repairing 400 m of a path near Grasmere cost £34,070.
  • Traffic: park-and-ride schemes, buses and boats around the lakes, and cycle routes encourage visitors to leave their cars.
  • The lakes: a speed limit of 10 mph for powered boats on Windermere, since 2005, reduces noise, danger and erosion of the shore.
  • Housing: planning rules can require some new homes to be for local people.

Judgement: these measures make tourism more , but visitor numbers are so high that pressure on popular sites remains.

Key terms

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

9 marks · about 9 minutes

To what extent does tourism bring more benefits than problems to a glaciated upland area?

To what extent means: Weigh up how far something is true, with evidence on both sides, then give a clear judgement.

Link it

Use the facts from:

Level 1 (Basic)· 3/9 marks (band 1–3)
Tourism brings money to the Lake District but also traffic and erosion. I think it brings more benefits.

Why this level: Simple points on both sides, with no detail, and an unsupported judgement. To reach Level 2: use facts to explain the benefits and problems.

Level 2 (Clear)· 5/9 marks (band 4–6)
About 18 million visitors come to the Lake District each year, and the national park accounts for over half of Cumbria's tourism spending and jobs. However, most visitors arrive by car, so honeypot sites such as Windermere and Keswick get congested. Paths are eroded by walkers, and about half of Keswick's homes are second homes or holiday lets.

Why this level: Clear, accurate benefits and problems. But it doesn't weigh them or consider management, and there's no judgement. To reach Level 3: evaluate how serious the problems are, how management helps, and conclude.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 8/9 marks (band 7–9)
Tourism brings the Lake District great benefits. About 18 million visitors come each year, for the mountains, lakes, walking and water sports, and the national park accounts for over half of Cumbria's tourism spending and tourism jobs, supporting hotels, shops and outdoor centres. However, the problems are serious. Most visitors arrive by car, so honeypot sites such as Windermere, Keswick and Grasmere suffer congestion. Popular paths are eroded by millions of feet. Second homes push up house prices: at the 2011 Census, 24% of the national park's homes had no permanent resident, and about half of Keswick's homes are second homes or holiday lets, so local people struggle to afford homes. Management reduces some of these problems: Fix the Fells repairs paths by stone pitching, and a 10 mph speed limit for powered boats on Windermere reduces noise and danger. Overall, tourism brings more benefits than problems, but only because careful management limits the damage; the housing problem remains hard to solve.

Why this level: Detailed, accurate evidence on benefits, problems and management, weighed to give a balanced, supported judgement. This is Level 3.

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