THE LAKE DISTRICT

Rural Decline in the UKMany rural areas have experienced population decline

during the 20th century. The issue of rural decline is a complicated one and many factors have contributed to the changes that have taken place in rural areas:

Mechanisation of the farming industry

better education for young people, causing increased ambition and a desire to "better" themselves and not follow their fathers into employment as farmhands.

jobs for young people in towns and cities and none in the villages, causing a population drift away from villages.

Rural Decline in the UK• A rise in car ownership and investment in

road improvements has meant it is easier to shop at major supermarket chains in larger towns and cities with cheaper prices and more choice

• This resulted in the closure of village facilities • car ownership and road/rail communications

has enabled rural houses to be populated by city dwellers as weekend cottages or by commuters.

The Lake District

Farming in the Lake DistrictThe Lake District is an area where hill farming

has shaped the landscape but farming in the lake district is in decline.

Read the extract ‘Farming ain’t what is used to be’ on page 138 in the textbook and answer the question:

1.What makes hill farming economically difficult? (4 marks)

What makes hill farming economically difficult?Market prices for beef and lamb are very low.Most of the land in the Lake District is grade

3 or below.Very high rates of rainfall 3352mm per year.Physical factors mean that cattle farming

have been the only options for land use.Land is in private hands, farmers only

tenants.Seasonal work.

Keeping the Lake District Alive The demise of traditional industries such as

farming, quarrying and woodland industries has forced the working population of the Lake District to diversify.

One third of the population in the Lake District is now employed in .............

Tourism in the Lake DistrictThe Lake District is the largest National Park

in the UK. The Lake District has a unique landscape and

offers opportunities for recreation such as walking, climbing, cycling and many others.

29.8 % of services provided in the Lake District are now directly linked to tourists.

37.5 % of the areas population is employed within the tourism industry.

Most of this tourism is located in Ambleside, Keswick and Windermere.

Tourism in the Lake District

Drawbacks of TourismEmployment in the tourist industry is largely

seasonal.Tourism is poorly paid and often part time.Tourism in the Lake District often has a negative

impact on the industries that still exist in the area.

Activity 2.In pairs discuss what you think could be the

negative impacts of large numbers of visitors on land which is still farmed in the Lake District.

Bullet point your ideas in your exercise books.

Ghost VillagesDespite the fact the Lake District has turned

to tourism to ensure its economic survival the population has continued to decline.

The village of Chapel Stile in the Lake District • 40% of the houses in Chapel Stile are not permanently occupied.

Ghost VillagesActivity 3.

See pages 140-141.

• What issues arise from growth in the number of second homes in villages such as Chapel Stile in the Lake District? (4 marks)