Electric sheep cars flock to Lakeland businesses

On a wet day in the Lake District, what's a tourist to do? You could go for a drive, but burning petrol, means global warming and more rain...

So now the County Council has come up with a Cumbrian solution: electric cars, made to look like sheep.

A flock of electric cars designed as sheep have now started their new lives as alternative transport for tourists at popular businesses around the North Lakes.

• The cars are Renault Twizys

• They have a maximum speed of 50mph

• Their range on one charge is 40 miles

• From Ullswater, you could get to Ambleside, Penrith or Keswick without recharging.

• It charges itself as you're going downhill.

• Of course, it uses more power going uphill too!

They can be hired from places around Keswick, Ullswater and Penrith for £10 an hour, £25 for a half day, or £45 for a full day.

The hope is people will leave the car at home, perhaps arrive by train, because there's another option if they want to go further than public transport allows.

There are 10 sheep twizys around Penrith, Keswick and Ullswater. They're numbered in the Cumbria or Westmorland dialects.

Around Keswick and Borrowdale you'll find Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera and Pip. Around Penrith and Ullswater you'll find Hovera, Dovera, Dec and Sethera and Lethera.

'Yan, tan, tethera', was originally a sheep counting system used by shepherds, the words used differed slightly from region to region. The names used for the cars have been taken from different parts of Cumbria.

• Yan = 1

• Tyan = 2

• Tethera = 3

• Methera = 4

• Pip = 5

• Sethera = 6

• Lethera = 7

• Hovera = 8

• Dovera = 9

• Dec = 10

So far, they're popular as a quirky thing to do, rather than a different mode of transport, but it's boosting business' green credentials, and could make a holiday in the Lake District more sustainable.