With so many modern tools now at the fingertips of the family historian, it is easy to overlook older printed sources. The 18th century witnessed the birth of topographical guides for areas such as the Lake District, which were attracting early visitors. Pre-dating some of these, travellers such as Celia Fiennes at the turn of the 18th century left personal notes detailing their impressions of the landscapes they were journeying through. Their diaries show what a locality was like at the time of publication and are now valuable for identifying how a place has developed.