The Lake District is an undeniably lovely place to visit, drawing millions of visitors a year with its unspoilt countryside of mountains, hills and lakes alongside its famous literary connections including William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. But faced with a minimum five and a half hour drive it's likely that many of us in the South East are more likely to jump on a flight to Europe than head up to the UK's most popular national park.

All that is set to change as a new Loganair route from London Southend Airport to Carlisle Lake District Airport launches on 4 June. Daily flights will take 90 minutes, from £44.99 one-way. 

* Tickets are on sale now at loganair.co.uk