Hawkshead and Tarn Hows

The route

Start from Hawkshead and make a 16.1km loop north to Tarn Hows before swinging back past Esthwaite Water to the village. This is low, gentle country: woodland track, quiet lane and lakeshore path, with only modest climbing between the two centrepieces. It is one of the friendliest longer routes in the southern Lakes, big enough to feel like an outing but never demanding the high fells.

The tarns and the lake

Tarn Hows is a made landscape that has become a Lakeland icon, a string of pools ringed by conifers with the Coniston fells rising behind. A circuit of the tarn is a route in its own right, and this loop threads it before heading south. Esthwaite Water, quieter and reedier, was Beatrix Potter's favourite lake and the inspiration for Jeremy Fisher; the low ground around it is thick with the farms and fields she knew. Hawkshead itself, all whitewashed alleys and the grammar school Wordsworth attended, ties the two together.

Why it works

This is a route for a relaxed day with a lot to look at. The surface is mostly good, the climbing is easy, and the navigation is straightforward on well-used paths, so it suits company, families at the longer end, or an easy long run. Tarn Hows and Hawkshead are both busy honeypots in season, so an early start pays off for quiet paths and parking. The low ground holds mud after rain, and the lanes carry cars, so take care on the road sections. The Boathouse Cafe at Esthwaite and the cafes of Hawkshead give you plenty of options either end. On a still morning before the crowds arrive, the reflections at Tarn Hows alone are worth the early alarm.