The clue to Britain’s most well-known lakes, of course, is in the name itself. The Lake District in the Northwest of England is host to some of the biggest, deepest, and arguably most beautiful stretches of inland waterways.
But don’t let that put you off discovering many other attractive and scenic lakes and reservoirs throughout the rest of England – not to mention Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. According to Countryfile, for example, in England alone you can find as many as 40,000 lakes of varying depth and size – 390 of which cover an area of more than 12 acres (5 hectares).
Here are some of the reasons for paying them a visit.
The Lake District
It’s home to England’s biggest (Lake Windermere) and deepest (Wastwater) lakes. The 16 lakes and numerous reservoirs and tarns are set in a stunning mountainous landscape that attracts almost 16 million visitors each year.
Set aside the statistical record for a moment and you’ll soon discover that every one of those stretches of water has its own unique character and atmosphere – the Lake District is a place you’ll want to return to again and again.
If you have a caravan in tow and want to avoid the inevitable crowds of the Lake District, however, why not visit the quiet – and generally less visited – nature reserves of Rutland Water? It’s a reservoir fed by the River Welland and River Nene while the surrounding open country parkland covers a vast 4,200 acres.
Lough Neagh
The biggest lake in the whole of the UK is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. It wins hands down the prize as the most extensive stretch of inland waterway – it covers a massive 147.87 square miles (compared, for example, to Lake Windermere’s 5.69 square miles).
Not only is this huge lough tranquil and peaceful, with many a quiet backwater in which to unwind, but its shores also harbour a priceless heritage of countless myths and folk tales, flora, and fauna. The lough is a bird watcher’s paradise.
It supplies approximately 40% of Northern Ireland’s daily water supplies and its waters are fished for its freshwater eels that are prized in kitchens across the whole of Europe.
The Scottish Lochs
While England lays claim to a Lake District, Scotland boasts no fewer than 31,460 freshwater lochs – the Highlands, in particular, are a veritable land of lakes.
The biggest of the lochs – and the one long praised in poetry and song for its serene beauty – is Loch Lomond. It is only 20 miles or so to the north of Scotland’s second city, Glasgow, and forms a natural gateway from the Lowlands to the Highlands. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park boasts its place in history in 2002 as the first in Scotland to gain the status of a national park.
In the tourism stakes, of course, Loch Lomond vies for prominence with that other iconic stretch of inland water, Loch Ness – and you’ll no doubt want to join the queue of intrepid adventurers claiming to have spotted “Nessie” the Loch Ness monster emerging from its depths.
Some 21.78 square miles in area, Loch Ness is the second largest of the Scottish lochs after Loch Lomond.
Welsh lakes
Though it’s often characterised as one of the wettest parts of the UK, lakes occupy only around 1% of land in Wales – a little more than 50 square miles in total.
The largest of the Welsh lakes is Lake Bala (that’s Llyn Tegid to give it its Welsh name). The thoroughly manageable 1.87 square miles of the lake can be found within Snowdonia National Park – a perfect reason to include a visit on your itinerary.
We hope this taster of some of the country’s lakes have given you some inspiration for your next caravan trip!