Keysia Mattocks has lived in the Lake District her whole life and said the influx of tourists has changed the town’s feel.
The Lake District is being swamped by tourists who show little regard for the natural surroundings and behave as if it’s a place for partying, a lifelong local has warned.
Tourism has always been part of daily life around Windermere’s shores. But the effects of holidaymakers in recent years have become so severe they are permanently transforming the area and forcing residents away, according to local woman Keysia Mattocks.
Born and brought up in the national park famous for its stunning landscapes, Mattocks now confronts the possibility of being driven from her home town due to a tourist-fuelled housing shortage.
“Me and my wife have been renting [our] house for seven years now, [but] the landlord is selling up and trying to find a house around here that will accept three cats is impossible,” she told the Express.
“The places available are like six-month winter lets because they are holiday cottages in the summertime or peak time.
“We were looking at [these properties] in desperation, but others were viewing it after us so it must be getting interest. You can’t build a home from that, though.”
During her tenancy, Mattocks has witnessed the number of rental homes in Windermere plummet dramatically and realised that should they be forced to relocate, remaining in the area would prove extremely difficult. “It’s always been in the background,” she added.
“We have heard stories of landlords selling houses underneath people and not really letting their tenants know. But [the shortage of housing] is a scary fact of life. The nearest available council house to Windermere is Whitehaven [50 miles away].”
Mattocks bears no resentment towards her landlord for deciding to sell and comprehends their motivations.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t alter the reality that she confronts the possibility of being forced to relocate from the community where she’s spent her entire existence due to the accommodation crisis.
Just a handful of her former classmates still reside in Windermere; the overwhelming majority have departed and travel for employment or family gatherings. The Cumbrian local need only glance through her window to understand the reason.
The roads that were once bustling with amicable residents who recognised each other by name have been transformed into lines of holiday lets where unfamiliar faces come for brief visits.
She said: “I have two holiday cottages around me [including] my next-door neighbour. [That] is used as an Airbnb holiday cottage with a new person in each week.
“Sometimes we have families who are nice and quiet, but there are times where the younger generation that are more into drinking stay.
“Last week we had students across the way and they were partying every single night.”
Mattocks revealed the selection of the Lake District as a venue for celebrating students was a sign of the broader transformation in the local character. “I feel like at the moment, instead of Windermere being how it used to be, it’s turned into more like Blackpool,” she added.
“It’s so busy and full of people who don’t actually respect the area. It’s starting to get like rubbish all over it and if you go down to the lake, like normal quiet spots, there will be like glass, rubbish and barbecues where you’re not supposed to be having barbecues.
“Parking’s impossible. There’s parking all round blocking up one-way streets and traffic.”
With longtime residents being forced out by soaring prices and holidaymakers flocking to the region in their thousands, it appears these transformations are here to stay.