Lake District Walking Guidebook
Lake District - Central and Southern
Discovery Guides Short Walks of Discovery Series
CONTENTS
- Contents
- How to use this Guide
- Map of the Walk Locations
- Summary of all 18 Walks
- Walk 01: Bowness-on-Windermere 4.5 miles
- Walk 02: Orrest Head 3.1 miles
- Walk 03: Stockghyll Force 3.0 miles
- Walk 04: Sweden Bridges 3.4 miles
- Walk 05: The Sawreys 3.1 miles
- Walk 06: Blelham Tarn 4.4 miles
- Walk 07: Rydal Water 4.6 miles
- Walk 08: Alcock Tarn 3.0 miles
- Walk 09: Easedale Tarn 5.0 miles
- Walk 10: Helm Crag 7.5 miles
- Walk 11: Elter Water 5.0 miles
- Walk 12: Blea Tarn 3.1 miles
- Walk 13: Tarn Hows 3.1 miles
- Walk 14: Wast Water 5.0 miles
- Walk 15: Muncaster Castle 4.5 miles
- Walk 16: Miterdale 6.5 miles
- Walk 17: Muncaster Fell 5.5 miles
- Walk 18: Stanley Force 4.0 miles
- Walking & Safety Tips
- Tourist & Useful Information
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Central and Southern Lake District provides tourists and walkers with a treasure chest of treasures to explore and enjoy. There are a multitude of landscapes locations and dales to explore, many of them found on the 18 routes in this publication. Ranging from 3 to 7.5 miles they represent a great variety of experiences to discover - the outline details of each are detailed below.
Walk 1: Bowness-on-Windermere The bustle of this lakeside town is soon exchanged for a peaceful rural hinterland characterised by meadows, woodland glades, leafy lanes and open fell. This pastoral landscape lies between Biskey Howe and Post Knott, high points with panoramic views over Windermere to the central fells.
Walk 2: Orrest Head Busy Windermere is left behind on a short climb beneath a woodland canopy onto the airy heights of Orrest Head, a renowned Lakeland viewpoint. The lake below is backed by a skyline etched with pinnacles of the central fells. The return stroll is via fields, lanes and woods.
Walk 3: Stockghyll Force It is close to the centre of Ambleside, reached by a riverbank walk up a wooded gorge. The falls are spectacular whether viewed from below or from the bridge over their head. Once out of the ravine, open countryside along lanes and over meadowland affords views of the fells beyond.
Walk 4: Sweden Bridges From Ambleside a walled path cuts up between fields and woods into the foothills of the high fells. Humpbacked High Sweden Bridge is a remote scenic turning-point for a grassy descent to picturesque Low Sweden Bridge and its waterfalls, with views over Ambleside and Windermere lake throughout.
Walk 5: The Sawreys A popular National Trust property is Beatrix Potter's cottage, Hill Top, at Near Sawrey. Views over lake and tarn, quiet lanes, meadows, woodland and the quaint hamlets of Near and Far Sawrey on this easy walk no doubt served as an inspiration to the imagination of the world-famous authoress.
Walk 6: Blelham Tarn A terraced meadowland and woodland circuit of tiny secluded Blelham Tarn, a National Nature Reserve, leads to the rocky cove of High Wray Bay on Windermere lake and the attractive wooded grounds of Wray Castle, a mock medieval C19th house, not open to the public.
Walk 7: Rydal Water A circular walk round the lower fells, which enclose Rydal Water, provides superb aerial aspects of the lake and glimpses of its neighbour, Grasmere. These views inspired the poetry of William Wordsworth whose home at Rydal Mount can be visited en route. Cathedral-like Rydal Cave is also a fascinating attraction.
Walk 8: Alcock Tarn This minuscule tarn is perched high on a mountain plateau. Ascent and descent paths are quite steep, but frequent rest-stops are rewarded with panoramic views over the vale of Grasmere to the central fells and over Windermere to Morecambe Bay. William Wordsworth's early home, Dove Cottage, can be visited en route.
Walk 9: Easedale Tarn 'My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky'. So wrote Wordsworth by Easedale Tarn, cloistered high in its mountain setting at the geographical centre of the Lake District. Water dominates a walk upstream in Far Easedale valley to the tarn and downstream beside the cascading falls of Sourmilk Gill.
Walk 10: Helm Crag High above Grasmere, Helm Crag's shapely summit has earned for it such titles as 'The Lion and The Lamb' and 'The Lady at the Organ'. This magnificent rocky viewpoint is achieved on a gradual climb via lane, field, stream, waterfall, fell and undulating ridge - a mountain experience with minimum effort.
Walk 11: Elter Water From the meadows fringing the reeded shoreline of this swan lake, for 'Elter' is Norse for 'swan', is a classic view of the Langdale Pikes, only one scenic aspect of a walk over rolling hills, along tumbling streams and through shaded woodland, plus an encounter with two plunging waterfalls.
Walk 12: Blea Tarn Between Great and Little Langdale, romantic little Blea Tarn nestles in an upland hollow protected by surrounding mountains. Like the Langdale Pikes, it is rarely out of sight on a walk which touches its shoreline, and after a short steep climb is viewed from on high along a fine heather moorland ridge.
Walk 13: Tarn Hows One of Lakeland's most popular beauty spots, the route seeks solitude away from the often crowded shoreline by keeping above the tarn which also enhances the views. Tree-fringed waterfalls up Glen Mary prepare the way for the magic of the tarn and glorious panoramic views from the ridge of Tom Heights.
Walk 14: Wast Water Tiny Flass Tarn, couched in farmland contrasts with the dark waters of England's deepest lake, Wast Water, set against a towering wall of scree and England's highest mountains, the Scafells and Great Gable, at its head. Between, lie meadows, sylvan banks of the River Irt, and a return over low fell.
Walk 15: Muncaster Castle An easy climb from the ancient port of Ravenglass, past a Roman bath-house and through woodland, emerges at C14th Muncaster Castle, later a Victorian country house. The walk through its landscaped gardens is followed by a grassland descent to the beach of the Esk estuary.
Walk 16: Miterdale A gradual ascent of peaceful Miterdale follows the River Mite to Burnmoor Tarn, set amidst open fell below Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain. A descent into Boot village follows an old corpse path. Return is by train on a narrow-gauge track along the delightful Esk Valley.
Walk 17: Muncaster Fell Fell Lane, once part of Britain's highest Roman road over the Lake District, climbs gently onto Hooker Crag with sea views. The fell top is crossed on a sinuous path into Eskdale. A narrow-gauge railway journey to working Muncaster Mill, plus a short woodland climb to Muncaster Castle, ends the walk.
Walk 18: Stanley Force A path up Stanley Gill in a wooded ravine leads to a dramatic waterfall. Back at the bottom of the gorge, the tumbling tree-fringed River Esk, backed by distant fells, is traced to a picturesque packhorse bridge for a return along the opposite riverbank.
The cartography and presentation are excellent and along with very detailed and sectionalised route descriptions combine to provide an outstanding walking guide.
Excellent value for money.
CREDITS AND TECHNICAL DATA
ISBN 0-86309-132-6
64 internal pages printed on 150GSM matt artpaper + 4 page cover printed on 350GSM gloss artboard.
Printed in colour. Gloss laminated outer cover. WIRO BOUND.
Some 15 colour photographs and 10 mono photographs. 175mm high x 125mm wide approx.
Printed in England.
Recommended retail price: £4.99
Walked and writhed by: JOHN WATSON.
Photographs copyright of DISCOVERY PHOTO LIBRARY LIMITED.
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