Students from Japan visited the Lake District looking at sustainability in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Lake District Foundation partnered with Hidden Lakeland to arrange the ten-day study programme.
Nine undergraduate students on the University of Tokyo’s Global Education for Innovation and Leadership programme stayed in Ambleside and Kendal to gain better understanding of the opportunities and difficulties presented by sustainable tourism in the Lake District National Park.
The students stayed in the heart of the Lake District at the University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus. Most of the learning was delivered outdoors with a mix of sessions indoors.
This included presentations from representatives of Cumbria Tourism, the Lake District National Park Authority and World Heritage UK.
The group enjoyed walk-and-talk tours and got across the Lake District including Ambleside to Dove Cottage via Rydal Hall and the Coffin Trail.
They enjoyed a workshop hosted by Wordsworth, Grasmere, looking at William Wordsworth’s legacy for the Lakes as a place to visit.
They also met with Sarah Swindley, Chief Executive of the Lake District Foundation, received an insight into woodlands management by Cumbria Woodlands and met farmers working the land.
Tracey Gannon from Hidden Lakeland said: “It was a packed ten days with content, mostly outdoors, delivered by many people who have a passion for the Lake District and its future. Feedback from the students suggests that they found the experience very valuable.”
One student said: “It was very useful to hear from lecturers from different perspectives how things are seen and in what sense sustainability is important, depending on one’s position and principles. In addition, by actually visiting farms and climbing mountains, I was able to experience first-hand the beauty of the landscape and think about the importance of protecting it as my own personal matter.”