27/05/2026
Lakes Parish Council recognises the growing frustration amongst residents, farmers and local communities regarding antisocial parking across parts of the parish, particularly during busy visitor periods.
In recent days, tourist hotspots such as Rydal have once again experienced an increase in inconsiderate parking, with vehicles obstructing access routes, verges and private land. Whilst the Lake District’s visitor economy is hugely important to the area, there is a very real need to strike a fair balance between supporting tourism and allowing residents and working rural communities to go about their daily lives safely and reasonably.
Farmers in particular already work extremely long hours in difficult conditions throughout the year and are increasingly facing situations where visitors remove carefully placed stones or barriers, ignore signage, and park on agricultural land and access routes. In this particular case, the field affected is actively used for grazing livestock, therefore illegal parking and trespass on the land has a direct impact on animal welfare and the day-to-day management of livestock.
The Parish Council is also increasingly concerned about the growing levels of litter being left behind year on year in rural areas and beauty spots. Residents and landowners are frequently left clearing glass bottles, cans, plastics and other waste from fields, verges and laybys. Aside from the visual impact, discarded litter poses a genuine danger to livestock and wildlife and places an unfair burden on local residents and farmers who are left to clean it up.
The Parish Council appreciates that many residents are calling for stronger action from the relevant authorities to help address ongoing parking issues and the pressures placed upon rural communities during peak periods. We continue to raise these concerns with the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust and Westmorland and Furness Council and are encouraging all agencies to work collaboratively to find practical and proportionate solutions.
At the same time, the Parish Council would encourage all visitors to park responsibly, respect local communities and farmland, and recognise that these areas are not only tourist destinations, but also people’s homes and workplaces.
