North Lakes
Near Seatoller

The area around the Borrowdale Valley was extensively mined for minerals such as copper, tin and lead, and for the high-grade slate and wall stone. Graphite (known locally as ‘wad’) was discovered in the Borrowdale Valley around 1500, and was first used for marking sheep. The value of the material was quickly discovered, being mainly used as moulds for the manufacture of cannon balls. The Cumberland Graphite also gave rise to the worlds first pencil industry – the first pencils ever made were produced in Keswick. Today, pencils and are still made in the town, although not using the local ‘wad’ of the older days.