Walks Around Britain

A pleasant walk from Lakeside off of Windermere through pleasant woodlands and meadows to Finsthwaite's High Dam - then back via Newby Bridge and a trip on a Steam Railway.

We're filming this walk soon, so it isn't ready to watch, but you can still follow the route directions and the map.

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• From the car park for the Lakes Aqurium, the Lakeside Railway station and the Lakeside Steamer Pier, walk past Lakeside Hotel to the main road and turn right.

• Walk towards Hawkshead and soon, a public footpath appears on the left opposite a house named “Buck Yeats North”. This is a very rough track through coppiced woodland and should be followed straight on - ignore any forks to the left.

• Here is the first stile of the walk - a stone type. Cross over, and then head straight across two fields towards Finsthwaite Church visible ahead.

• Follow the path onto a road to the left of the church and when opposite the church, take the first road left, which soon meets the village road. Turn right and the path is just on the left through the gates and driveway of the cottage “Plum Green”.

• Walk straight through, noting yellow arrows directing through a field to a small gate on the other side. Through the gate, the path veers at a 45° angle right past a blue static caravan.

• Look for a white arrow painted on rock and head towards a bridge over stream by the edge of the wood. Cross the bridge and this is a special conservation area managed by the National Park Authority.

• Turn right and head towards the entrance gates from the car park. Go through and turn left into the car park and through the kissing gate at the far side.

• The path meanders amongst deciduous woodland, through a gap in a stone wall, through a kissing gate until after 10 minutes it meets an old bridle path.

• Join the bridle path by the rustic steps and turn left - it now climbs steadily between moss-covered walls until it reaches two old and redundant gate stoops. Here, it becomes more open but still clearly defined. Another path coming up from the right joins by a

wooden gate.

Turn left and continue, steadily climbing up until the access area to High Dam.

Head into the access area through a kissing gate and turn immediately right to follow the path around the tarn anti-clockwise.

• The path crosses open ground and then rises over a footbridge to reach a fine view point. After the views have been taken in, carry on by going over a small bridge and ignoring the public footpath to Rusland.

• Cross over a similar bridge and now meander along the edge of the tarn until the walled dam itself. Walk along the dam.

• There are plenty of places to relax and take in the scenery around the tarn - when done, descend by the path and cross the river using the wooden footbridge again from the enterance of this conservation area.

• Retrace the route through the field heading to the left of the isolated blue caravan, through gate and on into Finsthwaite and back to the church.

• The footpath to Newby Bridge is through the iron kissing gate on the right and into a field.

• Carry on walking straight up the middle of the longest part of the field towards a gap in the trees in the distance.

• Cross the stile and keep going straight on following yellow arrows and crossing two more fields by stiles until the wood is reached.

• Now, cross another stile at the right-hand corner of the field and enter into some woodland.

• Follow the path to the left, which soon decends to a drive leading to the main Newby Bridge to Lakeside road. The Swan Hotel is just to the right, providing a great place to have some refreshments.

• To get to Newby Bridge Halt station, there's a brief walk of around 250 metres down the road opposite the hotel, following river on the left.

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Distance miles (km)

Minimum time 2 1/2 hours

Ascent/gradient ft (m)

Grade/Paths Easy

OS Map Explorer OL (Grid SK )

Dogs? Dogs on lead

Parking At the Lakeside Pay & Display Car Park

Public Transport By Bus -

Toilets/Refreshments At Lakeside

Lake District National Park - Visiting Windermere
Information about visiting Windermere from the National Park



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