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Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 0.75 miles (1 km) wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about 70 ft (21 m).

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Bassenthwaite Lake
View from Blackstock Point
Bassenthwaite Lake Location in the Lake District National Park Show map of the Lake District Bassenthwaite Lake Location in Allerdale, Cumbria Show map of Allerdale
Map (1925)
Location	Lake District
Coordinates	54°39′N 3°13′W
Primary inflows	River Derwent Newlands Beck
Primary outflows	River Derwent
Catchment area	96.5 sq mi (250 km2)[1]
Basin countries	United Kingdom
Max. length	4 mi (6.4 km)
Max. width	0.8 mi (1.3 km)
Surface area	1.98 sq mi (5.1 km2)
Max. depth	70 ft (21 m)
Shore length1	11.3 mi (18.2 km)
Surface elevation	223 ft (68 m)
Islands	0
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

It is the only body of water in the Lake District to use the word "lake" in its name, all the others being "waters" (for example, Derwentwater), "meres" (for example, Windermere) or "tarns" (for example, Dock Tarn). It is fed by, and drains into, the River Derwent. The lake lies at the foot of Skiddaw, near the town of Keswick. Some maps dating from the 18th century do in fact mark this lake with the name Bassenwater,^{[citation needed]} and the use of the name Broadwater for this lake is also attested.^{[citation needed]}

The A66 dual carriageway runs roughly north–south along the western side of the lake. The lay-bys are popular spots for photographers and bird watchers looking for osprey. The section running south towards Keswick was built along the course of the former Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line.

Origin

Like the other Lake District lakes, Bassenthwaite Lake lies in a glacially eroded valley, left after the last glaciation. Bassenthwaite Lake is linked to Derwent Water by the River Derwent, which crosses the 3 miles (5 km) alluvial plain between the two lakes. There has been speculation that Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake were once one larger lake with the alluvial flats now separating them formed from partial infill of the original basin.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology

'Bassenthwaite' is "'Bastun's clearing', pers.[onal] n.[ame] plus 'þveit' 'clearing', also 'common', 'lake'. The 1st el[ement] is usually taken to be the Anglo-French nickname or surname 'Bastun', originally meaning 'stick', while the 2nd is ON 'þveit' 'clearing'. The lake, in early times known as 'Bastun's water', takes its name from the village."[2] (ON=Old Norse).

Biodiversity

The lake's catchment is the largest of any lake in the Lake District. This, along with a large percentage of cultivable land within this drainage area, makes Bassenthwaite Lake a fertile habitat.^{[citation needed]}

The lake contains salmon, trout, pike, perch, minnow, dace, ruffe and eel, though the predominant species is roach, which is believed to have been introduced in the form of discarded live-baits by visiting pike anglers. Also present was the vendace, until it was declared extinct within the lake in 2001.^{[citation needed]}

Birdlife

Cormorants have been known to fish the lake and herons can also be seen; at the turn of the 19th century there was a report of 60 nests in a heronry in nearby Wythop Woods.^{[citation needed]}

Lake District Osprey Project

In 2001, ospreys returned to nest in the Lake District after more than a hundred years. They nested by the lake, and have done so regularly since. The osprey family can be watched from viewpoints at Dodd Wood and by CCTV from Whinlatter Forest Visitor Centre.[3]

Threats

Water quality is adversely affected by high sediment deposition, and there are other problems such as phosphate pollution. These issues are being addressed via the Bassenthwaite Lake Restoration Programme.[4][5] To reduce the sediment entering the lake more trees have been planted alongside watercourses, and clear felling of existing tree cover has been discouraged with the cooperation of Forestry England.

Phosphates encourage algae formation.[4] The Environment Agency attributed unacceptable levels of phosphate in the catchment to Keswick wastewater treatment works, Greta Grove pumping station and the associated overflow.[6] Water company United Utilities was fined £27,000 in 2011 for allowing raw sewage to pollute nearby Pow Beck watercourse.[7] The company's £20 million sewer improvement scheme, begun in 2011, aims to improve water quality in the River Greta[8] and the lake itself.[9] The project will facilitate removal of greater quantities of phosphates.[10] Works to upgrade the wastewater treatment works and pumping station were begun in May 2010.[6]

Neolithic era

It has been reported that the wide gravel spreads between Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake provided the best centre within Lakeland for Neolithic farming communities. Stone axes have been found in the area and particularly at Mossgarth, Portinscale.^{[citation needed]}

References

Sources

• A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bassenthwaite Lake.

• Bassenthwaite entry at VisitCumbria
• Bassenthwaite Restoration Project
• Bassenthwaite Sailing Club
• Parliamentary questions and answers on pollution in the Lake^{[permanent dead link]}
• Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Historic Rail Line

На других языках

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[de] Bassenthwaite Lake

Der Bassenthwaite Lake ist der drittgrößte See Englands und liegt im Lake District in der Grafschaft Cumbria. Er ist der einzige See im Lake District der die Bezeichnung lake (See) trägt; alle anderen Seen besitzen die Endung -mere oder -water. Auf einigen Landkarten aus dem 18. Jahrhundert ist der See jedoch mit Bassenwater angeschrieben.

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- [en] Bassenthwaite Lake

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[fr] Lac Bassenthwaite

Le lac Bassenthwaite est un des principaux lacs du Lake District dans le nord-ouest de l'Angleterre, dans le comté de Cumbria.

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[it] Lago di Bassenthwaite

Il lago di Bassenthwaite (in inglese: Bassenthwaite Lake) è un lago di 5,4 km²[1] dell'Inghilterra nord-occidentale, situato nell'area del Lake District, nella contea della Cumbria. È il lago più settentrionale e il quarto lago per superficie del Lake District (oltre che uno dei maggiori della Cumbria)[1][2][3] ed è l'unico degli specchi d'acqua dolce del Lake District ad essere definito in inglese un lake (gli altri sono definiti water o mere)[2][4].

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[ru] Бассентуэйт

Бассентуэйт[2] (англ. Bassenthwaite Lake) — озеро в графстве Камбрия на северо-западе Англии, в Камберлендских горах.

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