Where is Ullswater? Where is the Lake District, for that matter? These might seem like simple questions, but they are easier to ask than to answer. A lot depends on context, on where and when you ask them, and in this talk I’ll elaborate on that point by considering how perceptions and descriptions of Ullswater and the Lake District have evolved over the past 300 years. As a way of focusing my remarks, I’ll explore changes in how the region has been portrayed in maps, guidebooks and other kinds of publications. In the process, I’ll also reflect on how our modern notion of the Lake District as a ‘district’ came into being.