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Good transportation was essential to move materials out of the area and canals and then railways encroached into the region on all sides. Today trains still run on some of the branch lines, which have been lovingly preserved as tourist attractions, while other lines have been transformed into traffic-free cycle paths that form part of the National Cycle Network.

A patchwork of stone walls and barns in the Duddon Valley (Stage 5B and Routes 11 and 12)

Since the mid-Victorian era, tourism has grown until it dominates the local economy. In 2013, nearly 16 million visitors spent over £1 billion creating the equivalent of 15,500 full time jobs, which is approximately 40 per cent of the total population of the national park, a proportion which would be substantially higher if only those of working age were considered. In addition, tourists have provided a ready market for the myriad of artists, craft workers, artisan food producers and micro-brewers found in the district.

BOBBIN MILLS

When the Lancashire textile industry was at its height in the 19th and early 20th centuries it had an insatiable need for bobbins for spinning and weaving and the vast majority were turned at one of the 65 mills scattered across the Lake District. The woods and copses in the valleys were coppiced to supply birch, ash and oak of the right diameter and the fast flowing streams provided power to drive the lathes until superseded by steam.