There are usually said to be 16 main lakes in the Lake District, but only one of them is officially called a “lake” by name: Bassenthwaite Lake.

Quick Scoop

  • In everyday use, most guides and visitor info say the Lake District has 16 primary lakes (like Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater, Coniston Water, etc.).
  • Strictly by name, only Bassenthwaite Lake is a true “lake”; the others are called waters , meres , or tarns , even though they are still lakes in the geographical sense.
  • If you include all the smaller tarns, meres, and reservoirs , there are dozens of bodies of water across the national park, often quoted as well over 80 in total.

So the fun trivia answer is “one official lake,” but the practical answer most visitors use is “16 main lakes, and many more smaller ones.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.