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  4. Glaciated uplands: people and the Lake District

Glaciated uplands: people and the Lake District

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Glaciated uplands are used for farming, forestry, water, energy and tourism. Each brings benefits and problems.

Human activity

Farming: mainly sheep grazing, because the soils are thin and the climate is wet and cold. Overgrazing can increase soil erosion.
Forestry: large conifer plantations reduce runoff and can lower flood risk, but change the look of the landscape.
Settlement: villages grow in valleys on flatter land.

Development: pros and cons

Water storage: U-shaped valleys make good reservoirs. Thirlmere in the Lake District was dammed to supply water to Manchester, and villages and farmland were flooded.
Renewable energy: high rainfall and steep slopes suit hydro-electric power, especially in Scotland.
Tourism: brings jobs and income, but causes traffic, footpath erosion and high house prices from second homes.
Conservation: protects landscapes and wildlife but can limit new jobs and housing.

A distinctive landscape: the Lake District

Glaciers carved U-shaped valleys and ribbon lakes such as Windermere, England's largest natural lake.
Helvellyn has corries, a tarn (Red Tarn) and the arete of Striding Edge.
It became a National Park in 1951 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
Honeypot villages such as Keswick and Bowness-on-Windermere are very busy, and erosion of popular paths is repaired by footpath schemes.
Worked example

Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of tourism in a glaciated upland.

  1. Advantage: visitors spend money in shops, cafes and hotels, creating local jobs.
  2. Disadvantage: large numbers of walkers erode footpaths and cause traffic congestion on narrow roads.

Answer: Jobs and income, but footpath erosion and congestion.

Key idea

Glaciated uplands support sheep farming, forestry, reservoirs, hydro-electric power and tourism. Each has costs: flooded valleys, footpath erosion, traffic and second homes. The Lake District shows corries, aretes, ribbon lakes and busy honeypots.

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