Ullswater

Forget John Sergeant and Martina Navratilova. The public has spoken: and the winner is – the Lake District.

Thousands of voters put the Cumbrian national park at the top of the list of holiday destinations, beating London and Cornwall into second and third place respectively. The Lake District topped the poll in this year’s British Travel Awards.

The award, for the top UK destination, is recognition of the area’s popularity. The scenic splendours are enjoyed by 15 million visitors every year, and walkers setting off from Ambleside’s car park will be well aware of the fact – sometimes it feels like all 15 million are trying to squeeze into the town at once.

Television series such as the Julia Bradbury-fronted Wainwright’s Walks and Griff Rhys Jones’s Mountain have shone the spotlight on the Lakeland fells and have been credited with boosting the numbers taking to the Cumbrian mountains.

Ian Stephens, chief executive of Cumbria Tourism, said: “This is the most significant award the Lake District has won in recent years.

“The fact we have been named by the public and featured at the UK’s leading travel awards, is particularly impressive and an important message to convey to visitors for 2009.”

Lorraine Barnes Burton, chief executive officer of the British Travel Awards said: “The consumer voters for these awards are made up of a large cross section of the UK’s travelling public.

“Consumers are also asked to support their votes, and the compactness of what’s on offer in The Lake District, the landscape and the beauty of the area clearly played an important part when choosing their favourite UK destination.”

Borrowdale was also recently voted second-best view in Britain in a competition run by the National Trust, behind Aberglaslyn in Snowdonia.

It would probably also be voted wettest venue for a hill event by competitors in the Original Mountain Marathon.

Cumbria Tourism says the industry brings in £1.14bn each year to the region’s economy and supports 36,000 jobs.