Theme: Francis Drake, his life and deeds

Interesting facts about The Lake District.

1.Pencils Were Invented in the Lake District

The graphite mine at Seathwaite, first discovered in the 1550s, provided the natural resource required to make the very first pencil and the history of this humble item of stationery is charted at the Pencil Museum in Keswick.
Visitors there can learn about all things pencils and see special exhibits, including WWII items with concealed maps and the longest colouring pencil in the world.
The yellow pencil was completed in May 2001, weighing 446.36kg and is a practically unusable 7.9 metres long – that’s the approximate length of 13 unravelled Cumberland sausages laid end to end!

2.England’s Deepest Lake is in The Lake District

Wastwater is situated in the Wasdale Valley in the west of the county of Cumbria and is surrounded by mountains, including England’s highest Scafell Pike.
It was voted as Britain’s Favourite View in 2007 owing to the dramatic surroundings which include the Screes, millions of fragments of broken rock that protrude from the floor of the lake and reach up to 2000m in height.
Although there are 8 bigger lakes in the Lake District in terms of square kilometres, Wastwater is the deepest lake in England with a staggering depth of 243 feet. That’s the equivalent of 121 and a half uncoiled Cumberland sausages!

3.It is a Haven From Zombies

Yes – this is absolutely true. If you find yourself in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and in need of somewhere to hide, look no further than Ennerdale, location of the most westerly of the lakes.
It was here that the characters from the 2002 Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later took refuge and managed to escape.
With its stunning beauty and sense of remote isolation, Ennerdale provided the perfect backdrop for the 2002 Danny Boyle film and is just an hour and a half’s drive from Windermere Marina Village.
Definition of words

1. 
   Humble – having a low social class or position
   
2. 
   Graphite – a soft black substance
   
3. 
   Valley – an area of lower land