Description
Book SynopsisWritten with fell walkers and other countryside enthusiasts in mind this thoroughly engaging and absorbing book shows that there is much more to the Lake District than simply 'stanes and watter'. Have you ever wondered why Scafell is different from Skiddaw, or why the east side of Helvellyn is different from the west side, or why Ullswater is different from Windermere, or why the summit of Helm Crag is, well, a bit craggy? If so, this book will provide some answers, together with a deeper understanding of how the fell country acquired its special characteristics. The physical landscape of the Lake District acts like a giant magnet, attracting several million visitors every year to the fell country. From John Constable to Alfred Wainwright, via William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, the Lake District has inspired visitors and residents alike. Although often romanticised in words and pictures as static and enduring, the mountains of the Lake District are dynamic elements of nature undergoing constant change. Media interest in climate change, storms, floods and landslides has done much to increase the public's perception of a 'dynamic' rather than a 'static' physical landscape. For those who think they know all there is to know about the mountains of the Lake District this book provides details of a different facet that is accessible to all who take the time 'to stand and stare'
Table of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgements ix Preamble xi CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 CHAPTER TWO: The geology of the Lake District 13 CHAPTER THREE: The pre-glacial landscape 33 CHAPTER FOUR: Glaciation and related landforms 45 CHAPTER FIVE: Periglacial processes and landforms 87 CHAPTER SIX: Hillslope processes and landforms 111 CHAPTER SEVEN: Rivers, Lakes and Tarns 127 CHAPTER EIGHT: Limestone landforms 167 CHAPTER NINE: Man-made landforms 179 CHAPTER TEN: Finale 191 Further Reading 195 Societies 204 Index 205
