Talkin Tarn

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The Pleasure Boats at Talkin Tarn

Talkin Tarn is a glacial lake with a surrounding country park near Brampton in Cumberland.[1]

The lake is in origin a kettle hole lake, formed 10,000 years ago by mass glacial action.[2]

Research on climate change carried out at Talkin Tarn was published in 2004.[3]

Old buckles, stone axes and urns have been found in the area. Talkin Tarn is the home of a legendary pike, which supposedly lives in its waters, although few have witnessed it.

Name

The name of the tarn is form the ancient Cumbric language. According to A. M. Armstrong, et al., the first element, tal, means "brow" or "end", as in modern Welsh and Breton. The second element is unclear. It may come from the Cumbric word which appears in Welsh and Old Cornish as can ("white") and Breton as kann ("bland, brilliant"). Talkin may be a hill-name meaning "white brow".[4]

'Tarn' is derived from the Old Norse 'tjǫrn' and is the local name for a small lake.[5]

Sport

Rowing takes place on Talkin Tarn. The Talkin Tarn Amateur Rowing Club[6] celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009: rowing races were first held on Talkin Tarn in the 1850s and the Rowing Club was formed in 1859 by local townsfolk, several descendants of whom still live in the area. It is reckoned the 14th oldest non-university club in the country.

Talkin Tarn Annual Regatta has grown considerably in recent years from a total entry of 20 in 1946 and 97 in 1988 to what it is today – very successful and one of the largest one day regattas outside London with total entries now in excess of 400.

See also

Outside links

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References

  1. Talkin Tarn Country Park
  2. AboutBritain.com: Talkin Tarn
  3. Reconstructing climate and environmental change in northern England through chironomid and pollen analyses: evidence from Talkin Tarn
  4. Place-Names, page 89
  5. Whaley, Diana (2006). A dictionary of Lake District place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. pp. lx,423 p.420. ISBN 0904889726. 
  6. TTARC