Cumbria is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the UK for a variety of reasons.

Home to the majestic Lake District, it is often cited as a walker's dream with its marauding hills, mountains and lakes.

For that matter, it is not uncommon to see a celebrity or two in a local pub or up Scafell Pike.

World-famous celebrities often "fall in love" with Cumbria and we frankly can't blame them. I mean, how could they not?

VisitLakeDistrict.com recently published a series of...love letters, if you will, from celebrities expressing their adoration for the county.

Here we take a look at a few of them:

Celebrities that "love" Cumbria

David Hasselhoff

David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He set the Guinness World Record as the most-watched man on TV and has judged on talent shows such as America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent.

“The lake, the hotel, Holbeck Ghyll… the time we spent in Cumbria was magical. Almost like being far far away in a calm serene place of beauty - A place to sigh and look into a lover’s eyes”.

Helen Skelton

Cumbria's darling needs no introduction. The presenter recently left a top BBC job to move back home to her parents' dairy farm.

"Blencathra. You could travel halfway around the world and struggle to find views half as good. The hike is rewarding, the views are stunning and even on a miserable day the atmosphere is breathtaking."

Anna Friel

The Emmy award-winning actress from the north West is another Hollywood face who fell in love with the Lake District.

“The landscapes and views in the Lake District are unbelievably beautiful. It’s such a special place that feels majestic from the moment you arrive”.

Jon Richardson

The cheeky Lancaster-born comedian is one of TV's most famous faces and perhaps one of the Lake District's biggest fans. 

"There are too many perfect places in Cumbria for me to pick just one, but if you ever see me reading with a pint in a quiet corner of the Bank Tavern in Keswick having just come down from Causey Pike, then that’s about as good as it gets for me.

"It almost never happens now I’m married with a child, so be aware it’s probably Gino D’Acampo you’re staring at.”

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Richard Hammond

Richard Hammond is one of the most popular presenters in the UK today, often seen racing across countries in modified cars on Amazon Prime or sampling gins with James May on YouTube.

It is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of the 53-year-old out and about in the Lake District, or in his own words, his "favourite place in the world."

Hamster said: "I am and have been, I know, a very lucky boy.

"I've travelled an awful lot of the world and all the time I was travelling the one place I took with me in my imaginations and my heart was this place, my favourite place, Buttermere in the Lake District. 

"In fact, it became a bit of a standing joke, because what you won't have seen when you watched our many car adventures and travel shows over the years, was that wherever we were looking out across a beautiful landscape, whether it was Madagascar, Mongolia or Burma, there'd be a pause in the radio traffic from the rest of the crew in their cars and then somebody would dial in 'Go on then Rich say it' and I'd pipe up with, 'It reminds me of the Lake District."

Stuart Maconie

Broadcaster and writer.

"Last week for the first time in many months, I did two fell walks in Cumbria. I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed it until I was out there again. The hills, lakes, shops and pubs are all still there and Cumbria is open for business and is welcoming you back. It would be great to see you there."

Melvyn Bragg

Broadcaster and writer.

“I was brought up in North Cumbria on the Solway Plain between the fells and the sea and when I was looking for a place in the Lakes in 1970, I settled on a cottage in a hamlet on the north side of Skiddaw. When you walk up the fell at evening, then you see one of the many sights that have stirred the hearts of millions since Wordsworth’s day.

"Colour streaming in and landing on Skiddaw, on the heather, bronzed by the late light like a shield, a glittering bronze, displaying all that’s best in nature.”

Julia Bradbury

TV presenter.

“As someone once said, you may leave the Lake District, but once you have been, it’ll never leave you”.

Sir Chris Bonington

British mountaineer

“I believe the Cumbrian hills are as beautiful as anywhere in the world, but I am especially fond of the Northern Fells. Skiddaw, its highest peak, is a magnificent shapely mountain, yielding my favourite ascent up and over Ullock Pike, to reach its summit and back down its north ridge”.