 | Buttermere, at the head of the valley which contains also Crummock Water and Loweswater, is perhaps my favourite among the English Lakes. Although it is becoming more popular, it is still possible, especially by walking around the lake, to find the kind of solitude and stillness that first attracted me to it. | |||
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| The Buttermere Pines, at the head of the lake, are an enduring memory, especially when seen with the light shining obliquely through them towards sunset. |  | |||
 | Buttermere has many moods, and in certain lights can even appear quite sombre, but still with a beauty all its own. | |||
| Wastwater is perhaps the most remote of all the English Lakes, and, for that reason, one of the least frequented, except by the mountaineering and walking groups. Here, looking up the lake from its Western end, you see the high peaks of Lakeland at its head: Great Gable, Scafell and Scafell Pike. |  | |||
 | This view of Wastwater shows the screes which beetle down into the lake on the south side, making that side look almost impassable - yet the sheep manage to move about there! | |||
| Wasdale, with its lake, Wastwater, is an ideal place for beginning an exploration of the central high peaks of the Lake District, Great Gable, Scafell, Pillar, etc. |  | |||
 | The Lake District is not just lakes; it is an area also of wide fells and moors, like Harter Fell, near Devoke Water. | |||
| Also some of the most beautiful river valleys in the country are here. This is the River Derwent in Borrowdale, a peaceful, tranquil waterway winding through cool woodland. |  | |||
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 | Blea Tarn, in Little Langdale, is not big enough to be called a lake, but is nevertheless one of the more beautiful and peaceful of all the lakes and tarns. It was the setting for Wordsworth's "The Excursion". In the background are the Langdale Pikes. | |||
| Coniston Water, seen here from its southern end, was where Malcolm Campbell broke the world water speed record in 1939, and the scene of the death of his son, Donald Campbell, as he attempted to break this record in 1967. Its serenity in this photograph is perhaps more appealing as a way of remembering it. |  | |||
 | The Duddon Valley, West of Coniston Water, is one of the most delightful valleys in the Lake District. Here the River Duddon makes its way through a narrow gorge near Birk's Bridge. | |||
| Loweswater is the third lake in the Buttermere - Crummock Water - Loweswater chain, which flows out to the North-West of the National Park area. It is one of the more tranquil and unfrequented of the lakes. |  | |||
 | Although it is one of North-West Water's Manchester reservoirs, Ennerdale Water, in the North-West corner of the Lake District National Park, retains its wild and unspoilt look. This is partly due to the fact that there is no road for vehicles past Bowness Knott. | |||
| Rydal Water (seen here in Winter) is one of the smallest but most attractive lakes - it was a favourite with William Wordsworth, who lived near here, at Dove Cottage, then at Rydal Mount. |  | |||
You can find some excellent photographs of the English Lake District on Snap the Lakes.