Bassenthwaite Lake

Bassenthwaite Lake
	Map of the lake (1925)
Geographical location	Lake District , Cumbria , England
Tributaries	Derwent
Drain	Derwent
Places on the shore	Keswick
	Data
Coordinates	54 ° 38 '58 " N , 3 ° 12' 43" W Coordinates: 54 ° 38 '58 " N , 3 ° 12' 43" W.
Altitude above sea level	69 m ASL
surface	5.2 km²
length	6 km
width	1 km
Catchment area	240 km²
particularities	Site of Special Scientific Interest

The Bassenthwaite Lake is the third largest lake in England and is located in the Lake District in the county of Cumbria . It is the only lake in the Lake District that is called lake ; all other lakes have the ending -mere or -water . However, on some maps from the 18th century, the lake is marked with Bassenwater.

The lake is located northeast of the small town of Keswick at the foot of the 931 m high Skiddaw Mountain . It is around 6 kilometers long and 600 to 1000 meters wide, the lake level is 69 meters above sea level . The area of the lake is 5.2 km², but its catchment area is almost 240 km², larger than any other lake in the Lake District.

Like the other lakes in the Lake District, Bassenthwaite Lake is located in a trough valley created during the Vistula Ice Age . The main inflow and outflow is the Derwent , which also flows through the Derwent Water , located five kilometers to the south . It is believed that Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water used to form a single lake; Since then, however, debris has settled in between and forms the basis for a fertile alluvial plain . Trout , pike , perch , Coregonus albula and eels live in the lake . These fish are hunted by cormorants and some gray herons .

The lake has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1994 . The protected area includes the lake and its bank area, which, compared to other lakes, has been largely spared from interference. Numerous rare plants grow both in the lake and in its bank area. Over 70 bird species were counted breeding at the lake and the number of birds in the lake area reached up to 2000.