Our Area

Becks to Bay covers five main catchments in South Cumbria. However, within these 5 main catchments there are also 12 minor catchments which enter the sea separately.

• Kent
• Windermere & Leven
• Bela
• Coniston & Crake
• Duddon

Many people flock to our area to enjoy the natural beauty and all it has to offer. South Cumbria is host to several iconic lakes including England’s longest lake, the picturesque Coniston Water and other culturally significant waters such as Grasmere and Rydal Water.

Our area has a particularly high environmental value, which is reflected in the high number of designated areas:

• Two thirds of the area is within the Lake District National Park
• Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is on the coast of Morecambe Bay
• Morecambe Bay is of international nature conservation value for waterfowl reflected in its designation as a Special Protection Area and Ramsar site for birds, a marine Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest
• There are 8 other Special Areas of Conservation, including the River Kent (international designation)
• There are also 79 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (national designation)

Tourism

48 million people visited Cumbria in 2019 with 46% of these visiting South Cumbria

Many people visit the Lake District every year. The outstanding beauty and recreational opportunities draw people from across the world. Therefore, tourism centred around the natural beauty of the area, including its network of rivers and lakes, is a vital part of the economy. Additionally, this also provides great value in terms of our health and wellbeing: a fact we all need to recognise more. Therefore, we need to preserve the health and accessibility of the area for future generations. However, rising tourist numbers increases the pressure on the infrastructure of our area, threatening the quality of our lakes and rivers.

Tourists bring over 1 billion pounds to the area every year