Travel: Poets' corner

In the wake of Wordsworth and Coleridge, inspiration is easy to find. Hunter Davies divines the best of Lake District attractions, both classic and modern

You've probably been to the Lake District; billions have, since the passion for visiting this small area first started in 1770. At the back of your mind you can doubtless remember a school trip, a tent near some lake - was it Windermere or Loch Lomond? - no, wrong country, but you can clearly remember the rain.

Billions of visitors? Surely some mistake? Well with 15 million visitors a year spending at least three hours in Lakeland, it must be more than a billion by now. About 150 years ago, when the railways first arrived, Wordsworth was moaning about the possibility of 10,000 of the unwashed from Lancashire getting off the trains in Windermere.

Writing about Lakeland means you have to take account of the fact that so many Brits do know the Lake District, have been many times, love it dearly, and have their own favourite bits which they guard in their minds and don't want exposed in print. But each year there are also several million first-time visitors who don't know their way around, who ask for the Beatrix Potteries, inquire about boats from Bowness to the Isle of Man or would like a copy of the latest Dorothy's Journal.

In theory, mountains and lakes don't change. How can they; it's Nature? But of course they do, all the time. Over the years, mountains have taken on new colours, textures and even contours, thanks to mining, erosion, farming, plantations. Lakes have changed their width, their depth, their shape, their content, thanks to the weather, pollution, fishing, boating and assorted laws and regulations. Haweswater, Thirlmere and Tarn Hows may look lovely, but they are essentially man-made. Underneath Haweswater is a drowned village, and if Lakeland is as dry as it has been these past three years, it will probably pop out again. Ullswater, Crummock and Ennerdale do look totally natural, but even they have been cunningly "reservoired" around the edges. The most obvious recent changes and developments are in towns and villages - though not all. In Lakeland there has been a whole host of golden new arrivals in the past two years, tossing their leaflets in sprightly dance to catch the breeze, or at least our attention.

New visitors want to know what I shouldn't miss. Old visitors, meanwhile, want to know what's new. Not necessarily to go to see these changes. In fact it may be a useful warning. So, for both these sorts and conditions of visitors, here are my top five - Classic and Modern.

Classic Lakeland

A lake steamer. Every visitor should have a boat trip, up or down a lake. It's such an easy introduction, a lazy way of getting the feel and the flavour of Lakeland without in fact doing any work. There are four lakes with a regular service. Windermere, being 10 miles long, provides the longest trip, about 90 minutes one way, and is the most popular, with more than 1 million boat passengers last year, but it can get very busy. Ullswater has equally attractive boats, and is much quieter. The Derwent Water boats are smaller and noisier, and are of more use in getting to various points around the lake than as a pleasure in themselves. The most elegant, artistic boat ride is on Gondola, an 1859 steam yacht, which sails on Coniston.

An easy walk. For those wanting a low-level, family stroll, Rydal Water is the most convenient, as it's right in the heart of Lakeland - on the road between Grasmere and Rydal, with good parking. But don't walk on the road itself. The walk is along the other side of the lake. It is a round walk - one way along the shore, returning at a higher level.

An easy climb - so that you feel a bit more pleased with yourself, having gained some height and self-respect. Catbells, overlooking Derwent Water, is the most rewarding fell for the least outlay.

A harder climb. There are three mountains higher than 3,000ft, so you should do them all, as a true laker. Skiddaw is the easiest. As it's just outside Keswick, it's easy to get started here - and it's easy to ascend. Helvellyn is a bit harder, and more dramatic on top. Scafell Pike takes longest, but is the most satisfying. You can then say you've done the highest peak in England.

A famous house. There are two that should not be missed - both modest, as houses, but fascinating because they are as they were when the famous person lived there. In each case, the person is part of Lakeland - and ever will be. Mr Wordsworth's Dove Cottage is in Grasmere - open daily, 9.30am-5pm, adults pounds 4.25, children pounds 2, (015394 35544) and Miss Potter's Hill Top is at Sawrey - Saturday-Wednesday, 11am-4.30pm, adults pounds 3.60, children pounds 1.70 (015394 362690).

Modern Lakeland

The Beacon at Whitehaven - open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5.30pm, adults pounds 3.30, senior citizens pounds 2.75, children pounds 2.10, family ticket pounds 9.50 (01946 592 302). This is a brand-new pounds 4.2m tourist attraction, supposedly to tell you all about Whitehaven's history, which it does, but it's full of hi- tech amusements, the sort that kids are supposed to find fun on a wet day. Useful as a focal point for exploring Whitehaven's Georgian streets and magnificent harbour.

The Dock Museum, Barrow - open Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm weekdays, 11am- 5pm weekends, free admission (01229 870871). Another multi-million-pound modern creation. Where do they get all the money? The building itself is worth seeing - a giant, three-storey conservatory, created out of a sandstone dock. A snip at pounds 5m.

The Oasis Forest Holiday Village, near Penrith opens next Friday, 2 May. The new holiday complex is fully booked for the first week, but reservations for subsequent weeks are being taken on 0990 086000. This is heralded as Cumbria's biggest-ever man-made tourist attraction - 700 lodges, built at a cost of pounds 100m, which will attract 300,000 visitors a year. What on earth would Wordsworth have thought?

Lakeland Wool and Sheep Centre, Cockermouth - daily shows at 10.30am, 12pm, 2pm and 3.30pm, adults pounds 3, children pounds 1.50 (01900 822 6730). I have seen this, and it's hysterical. Well I burst out laughing when I sat in its 300-seater theatre and watched 19 pedigree sheep walk on stage, find their own dais and name, then pose and pout. Very like a Miss World contest.

Andy Goldsworthy. The well known sculptor has secured pounds 600,000 to reconstruct Sheep Folds, the sort that you see fallen down all over Lakeland. As works of art, of course. A hundred of these will be reappearing between now and the Millennium.

Hunter Davies is the author of `The Good Guide to the Lakes', published by Forster Davies, price pounds 5.99.