UKC

The Peak. The Lakes.

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Why do some people get upset when The Peak District gets referred to as "The Peaks" but when The Lake District is referred to as "The Lakes" there's not even the hint of a raised eyebrow?

Does anyone know the history of how the names came about and said aversion to adding an 'S' to the end of 'Peak'?

Cheers.

13
 Tom Valentine 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

The name is not supposed to be topographical referring to mountains or summits but rather referring to a tribe called the Paecs who lived in the area historically.

 MonkeyPuzzle 18 May 2020
In reply to Tom Valentine:

Who then intermingled with incoming Dantoni tribe, leaving their combined children, the Pae-Dants.

2
 Rob Exile Ward 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

Has lockdown finally reduced you to THIS?

You'll be asking about 'THE Gower' next (shiver).

1
In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:

Very droll, have a like.

 Rick Graham 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

My Cumbrian bred wife always calls it the lake district never the lakes .

In reply to Rick Graham:

I may be wrong but I think historically the naming of the Lake District went: first, vaguely, 'the Cumbrian fells', then 'The Lake District' (at time of very first tourists?), then 'The English Lakes', I think primarily thanks to the Lakes poets. Wordsworth may have been the first simply to refer to them as 'The Lakes' in his 'Guide to the Lakes'.

 RX-78 18 May 2020
In reply to Tom Valentine:

Which ends in an 's' ???

 Trangia 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

How I miss Al Evans, late of this Parish He will be turning in his grave to see how this subject continuous to rumble on!! 

Historically "The Peaks", "TPS", "Senior Social Workers", and "Planes on Treadmills"have given UKC hours of heated debate and fun. 

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Interesting, thanks for that. 

 Tom Valentine 18 May 2020
In reply to RX-78:

Modern abbreviation for Pecsaetan or Pecsaetna.

Lived on or near the edge of the Peak all my life and only learned this from Gordon's excellent book!

 profitofdoom 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

> ............but when The Lake District is referred to as "The Lakes" there's not even the hint of a raised eyebrow?

I call it The Lakes District

 Baron Weasel 18 May 2020
In reply to profitofdoom:

I refer to the Peaks District too  

2
 MonkeyPuzzle 18 May 2020
In reply to profitofdoom:

North-North Lancashire.

1
 MG 18 May 2020
In reply to Baron Weasel:

> I refer to the Peaks District too  

Is it not the Peac's Districts - White and Dark? 

1
 apwebber 18 May 2020
In reply to Tom Valentine:

That's interesting. So when people say they're going to visit "the peaks", maybe they're intending to pay a visit to this ancient tribe?

 Greenbanks 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

zzzzzzzzz

Mind you, the continued reference to such locations as Lake Windermere and Lake Ullswater does raise my bp

 Tom Valentine 18 May 2020
In reply to apwebber:

Possibly.

 Lankyman 18 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

Years ago we took my ex's mother (a Londoner) to watch the sunset over Morecambe Bay.

Us: 'Look, you can see the Lakes from here'

Her (genuinely confused): 'I can't see any lakes'.

That London place, I don't know.

 Toerag 18 May 2020
In reply to MG:

> Is it not the Peac's Districts - White and Dark? 


Isn't that a bit racist/colourist?

 Timmd 18 May 2020
In reply to MG:

> Is it not the Peac's Districts - White and Dark? 

No, Nope, and Definitely Not.    

 Tom Valentine 18 May 2020
In reply to Lankyman:

Soungs like a Barnsley lad's first walk in the Lakes:

Mentor: "Well, there's the tarn."

Barnsley lad : "If that's a tarn, weer's t'aarses?"

 Offwidth 18 May 2020
In reply to Tom Valentine:

A tribe possibly named after the peaks they lived amongst, in which case Peaks might be  legitimate and we certainly we can't guarantee it's not.

 Tom Valentine 18 May 2020
In reply to Offwidth:

No we certainly cant .

i can well imagine a meeting in a hut in 6th century Bradwell Dale:

"Right lads, once and for all, can we decide whether we're gonna call us selves Paec or Paecs! Let's put it to 't vote!"

Post edited at 20:02
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

Does anyone ever refer to the Lake? As in "looking for partner to climb in the lake this weekend" meaning the whole district, as you might use the Peak?

And why not?

 PaulJepson 19 May 2020
In reply to Just Another Dave:

Because you can't climb lakes. 

 EddieA 20 May 2020
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

> I may be wrong but I think historically the naming of the Lake District went: first, vaguely, 'the Cumbrian fells', then 'The Lake District' (at time of very first tourists?), then 'The English Lakes', I think primarily thanks to the Lakes poets. Wordsworth may have been the first simply to refer to them as 'The Lakes' in his 'Guide to the Lakes'.

I think you are right about Wordsworth.  I have a tourist guide published in Penrith in 1832 which refers to the 'The Lakes' throughout.  

The 'Cumbrian Fells' label may be newer as it didn't become Cumbria until 1974, though the origins of the word go back at least as far as the 9th Century and was used before the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland came into being in, I think, the 13th Century. 

I don't mind what you call them - The Lakes, The Lake District, even Lakeland - I know what you mean. (I'm from the Northern Fells btw). 

I'll admit to ignorantly adding an 's' to The Peak before UKC taught me the error of my ways.  Now when will everyone stop talking about "the Himalayas"? One mountain is a himal. A lot of himal all huddled together = Himalaya.  We anglicised it by adding the s and now they are seemily foreever saddled with our gratuitous and incorrect 's'. Unless the Paec can rise up in solidarity and shame us all out of using it?  Go on, you've all done enough on grit.   

 Rog Wilko 20 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

The Lakes does indeed have plenty of lakes (though only one of them has the word Lake as part of its name) but the Peak doesn't really have anything worthy of the name peak. Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill are the closest, but nowhere near peak status IMHO. Indeed the Peak is topographically composed largely of plateaus and escarpments and perhaps would better be named The Edge District. No-one has yet mentioned the fact that the White Peak (limestone area) is widely known as the Derbyshire Dales, though I'm not suggesting it should be the Dales District.

 robert-hutton 20 May 2020
In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

As someone who was born in the Derwent valley, I always refer to it as Derbyshire.

In reply to EddieA:

> I think you are right about Wordsworth.  I have a tourist guide published in Penrith in 1832 which refers to the 'The Lakes' throughout.  

> The 'Cumbrian Fells' label may be newer as it didn't become Cumbria until 1974, though the origins of the word go back at least as far as the 9th Century and was used before the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland came into being in, I think, the 13th Century. 

That was a slip. I meant Cumberland Fells, because I found an early quote somewhere that used that expression. (But can't find it again now, partly because I've been ludicrously busy this morning working on two pieces of writing at once, plus my next blog ... not finished.)

In reply to Boris\'s Johnson:

I've never had a serious objection to people calling it "the peaks", more a slight bristling of the neck hairs  even though it appears to be a recent phenomenon, language does after all evolve,  but I am always interested in their reasoning for doing so.  I strongly suspect that the vast majority are doing it out of ignorance thinking that it is because of the numerous summits and NOT the tribes that lived in the area.  Justifying it because there is a "Dark Peak" and a "White Peak" doesn't really cut it as again that refers to areas and not summits but is possibly the best argument to date. In more thasn 50 yeras of living and climbing in the area I have only heard it called "the peaks " on UKC.

Perhaps we should have a poll one day and get a consensus.  It would have to be associated with age groups however to make it useful. Language evolving is one thing but if it does so because of erroneous facts and opinions it would be wrong.

Al

Post edited at 15:23

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