So, how do you make the Lake District 'change and diversify' because it is too heavily weighted toward 'white middle-class able-bodied people'?

[Nanny0gg]

Richard Leafe, the Cumbria park's chief executive, said the Unesco World Heritage site must change to merit continued public funding.

I mean, it's mountains and lakes. What can you do?

And isn't that a tad patronising as well?

Ok, MintyMabel, have it your way. Me agreeing that accommodation needs to be much more accessible across a wider area clearly isn’t enough for you. I’m wrong for agreeing with you. You’re clearly just spoiling for a fight with someone and thought I’d be the best bet to have one with. Nope.

I find that in the Lake District, down in the towns and villages, its much more diverse. Up on the mountains its more 'white' but with some (very large) groups of Asian people, who always seem to be having good craic actually!

It’s the Lake District, it’s natural, is the plan to chop it all about to make it wheelchair friendly? Also how can an area be racist? Pathetic

It’s the Lake District, it’s natural, is the plan to chop it all about to make it wheelchair friendly? Also how can an area be racist? Pathetic

You haven't read the thread, have you hun?

I hope they can develop some trails and pathways for disabled people, maybe with nice, picturesque seating areas for those who mobilise using sticks or frames so need to rest more. I'd love something like that; my husband could wheel me along in the chair and I could hobble along with my crutches, too. Its really sad not to be able to enjoy the full beauty of an area because paths etc aren't accessible.

I don't think any of this is new? I work for a local authority with two national parks in our patch, and all the time I've been there the NPA's have been aware that the relative lack of diversity of visitors is an issue.

In terms of transport and rights of way etc being improved to open up greater accessibility, work has been done, but as always, funding is limited and patchy I guess which means that only small steps could be taken.

Finally my husband is from Cumbria, just outside the LDNP. Totally agree with what @stouffer said about Cumbria in the main being a monoculture.

You don’t.
It’s not accessible for some. It’s not appealing to others. The landscape is what it is, and should be left that way. Tilberthwaite & Little Langdale commercial 4x4 operators should take note.
That should be the end of the discussion.

If you're the children of poor immigrants then its quite likely that your parents wouldn't have thought to go, and so it carries on through the generations.

My grandparents were immigrants and they loved to travel around the UK, they did cheap coach trips, stayed in some dives but they went all over the place, they just wanted to see as much as possible of their new country. Often their British friends were amazed at the places they went to and could not understand why- wouldn't they prefer to go abroad somewhere hot?

There are some disturbingly offensive posts on this thread.

“They are litterally going to be shitting all over the countryside and damaging it, just so it 'appeals' to people who have zero interest in it”

Why do people assume that making the National Park attractive and accessible to a broader demography inevitably means ruin?

The Lake District and its communities now rely on tourism. They need to diversify anyway.

We are a multi-racial family and we go most years and stay in an extortionately priced cottage. The public transport is truly shit. Why are there not good regular bus services from the stations to the main accommodation centres? And between? Try getting from Glenridding to Keswick and back with time to do anything meaningful.

And if you walk into a pub as a non white family people look at you as if you are , literally, aliens. OK, they recover their manners but the reaction was there.

There are loads of attractions that could be made accessible without tarmac-ing the whole place.

The marketing could make it clear that there is something for everyone and everyone, should they wish to visit, is welcome.

“is the plan to chop it all about to make it wheelchair friendly? Also how can an area be racist? “

Well Stripeycat I think that you will find that this is not what has been suggested by anyone, so you can put your outrage away.

Lake district public transport is there you just have limited options. I first went hostelling there as a student in the 80s. We had no car so arranged our trip around trains buses and walking between hostels. I'd rather it had no public funding than see it destroyed by tarmac or paving stone paths

There are some disturbingly offensive posts on this thread

Nothing new in that Blouse: some of these threads make me realise how angry some people are and how they find putting forward a reasoned arguement so difficult.
I agree that the Lakes seems rather white and middle class, and trying to understand why it doesn't attract a wider range of cultures is worth doing. I don't think its about trying to attract more people, but making sure that obstacles are not being put in their way.

It isn't just the need for accessible paths, the users need to know where the best paths are for them. Publishing clear maps/free downloads. Circular Routes. DH is disabled I am not and we have a high energy breed dog. We adapt our holidays to suit. Paths don't necessarily need to be tarmac, gravel paths as long as they are not too pitted are fine..we use trails such as converted railway lines. eg The Camel Trail.

We know there are places we cant access together. I'm planning on Snowden in early summer. DH will stay on the campsite and a friend is joining us as company for me.

I live in the Lakes and my first response to seeing this in the news was to feel irritated simply because at busy times of the year it feels as if there are too many bloody people here already

A few people have made some useful points on this thread but there's been a lot of bollocks talked as well. Firstly the Lakes is no different to any other rural area in the UK - the resident population is mainly white and the public transport is limited and expensive due to lack of users.

However in the 20 years I've been here I've noticed increasing numbers of muslim and orthodox Jewish visitors. There are also a lot of overseas visitors from China and Japan. There have been efforts to create accessible paths for people with pushchairs and wheelchairs and most tourist attractions are accessible. FIL lives locally and uses a wheelchair and so I have first hand experience of this. Yes, more could be done but the roads are narrow, the mountain paths are steep and it's never going to fully accessible to everyone. It's also an area that specifically attracts people who want to do outdoor sport/activities and so they will mainly be able bodied.

As for getting kids from poorer, urban backgrounds into the Lakes - numerous organisations (some of which have been mentioned already on this thread) have been doing this for decades. My work brings me into contact with many of them and there are loads of residential centres providing opportunities to schools and youth groups. Lots of them are from BAME backgrounds. I got chatting recently to someone from another part of the UK who volunteers to bring kids in the care system on camping trips up here. My children's rural schools are twinned with urban schools and exchange trips are organised.This stuff is already happening!

2Rebecca My first independent trips to the lakes was hostelling, we covered the main groups of fells walking from hostel to hostel for a week. You can’t do that now. Many have closed, and others are more like hotels and not cheap.

Public bus services have declined.

OK you can still backpack and stay in hostels but the choices are now more limited.

In response to people saying the area is a "monoculture" - why is that a problem? The Lake District was awarded World Heritage Status to conserve it's culture and agricultural heritage. The same could probably be said for lots of World Heritage Sites. Is the Amazon a monoculture? If so is that a bad thing?

www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/walking/mileswithoutstiles

I've never been to the LD, but out of interest it took me about 10 seconds and 4 clicks to find this
48 easy access routes.

Why are people talking about Japanese tourists?

I thought the aim was to attract more people from a wider range of UK backgrounds?

Well he has a point but i would also add social mobility. Should we have a country where there are wealthy and/or insular enclaves,notably the nice rural bits and seasidy bits like devon,cornwall and the lakes whilst also having inner city ghettos where certain races/religions are over represented? I have friends who live in Cumbria and they live in fear of non whites or heaven forbid, Muslims moving into the area. The people in the town wouldnt even tolerate a chinese chippy when it opened as no one went in it and it went out of business !

I mentioned Chinese and Japanese tourists to make the point that it's normal to see non-white visitors in the Lakes.

@Arnoldthecat were your friends in the Lakes or another part of Cumbria? I would be surprised if it was in the National Park as there are loads of people from all over the world working here. Some people in other parts of the county are insular and haven't visited the Lake District either despite only living a few miles away.

I mentioned Chinese and Japanese tourists to make the point that it's normal to see non-white visitors in the Lakes

Specifically missing the point about attracting a wider range of people from the UK though,,,

YANBU. I am sick of political correctness and box ticking now.

Yea funking disabled people wanting access to pretty countyside.

You can make all terrain wheelchairs available for hire. You can run trips from inner cities via schools and family centres and make suitable clothing available to hire / borrow.

Force places to look at their access and increase rates for those who cannot be bothered to make an arrangements.

eg by me there's a hotel, the main part is grade 2 listed, which means they can fit a lift, they just use it as an excuse. They also have a new build 'wing' it has rooms on the ground floor, it has a fire exit on the ground floor but you have to go up stairs, through a door and then downstairs. If the fire escape was a key card door they would be accessible to wheelchair users, but they can't be arsed.

It's absolutely ridiculous box ticking. Do people not have bigger concerns than democratising the Lake District. Surely its beauty speaks for itself.

What they gonna do, tarmac a path up Stickle Tarn?! Bonkers!

Loads of kids go from bog standard comprehensives. It’s the de rigeur place if you live up north. I wouldn’t call it madly expensive, at least, no more than other touristy places in the U.K.

I fear you have to be reasonably able bodied to scramble up ’ooh, it wasn’t a waterfall last week’ places (cousin dragged me round, it had rained, some parts were a bit wet!)

We go to the lakes a lot and the main resorts are very popular with South Asian tourists, British Asians, East Asian students and tourists. There are a core of Japanese mountaineers (you'll see them in the Alps too) but not many.
But a lot of the South Asian tourists are elderly and things like boat and coach tours are always going to be more popular than fell walking.