All the world comes to the Lakes

Tourists have prized the lake District for over two hundred years. The eighteenth century traveller was followed by the tourist coming by rail and then by motor car. The first guide to the Lakes was published by Thomas West, in 1778. Countless others, from Wordsworth to Wainwright, followed.

Guidebooks have interpreted the landscape, customs and history, of the Lake District for generations of visitors. This is the story of travel and tourism in the Lakes as told through guidebooks and contemporary accounts.