Helvellyn and places of interest in the Lake District

Whether you are looking for easy walks around Windermere or a challenging climb up Helvellyn, you can find plenty of hikes and climbs in the Lake District.

Near the head of the lake is Wythburn Church. The small, whitewashed church was known and written about by Wordsworth and Hartley Coleridge. From the car park, beside the church, is a path which leads to the summit of Helvellyn, 3,118 feet. The path is an easy climb, under good conditions, and there are views across Thirlmere to Skiddaw, 3,053 feet, on the ascent. From the top you can look down on to two knife-edge ridges, Swirral Edge and Striding Edge, which are reached from Patterdale. On the summit is a plaque commemorating the first landing of an aircraft on a British mountain. It took place on Helvellyn in 1926.

Half a mile south of Thirlspot on the main road is the start of the Swirls Forest Trail. It is a 314 of a mile long trail organised by Manchester Corporation Waterworks. Trail leaflets are available at the start.

Great Langdale. To the west of Ambleside, and also reached by a picturesque but steep road from Grasmere, arc thc Langdale valleys. At the entrance to Great Langdale, near the Skelwith Bridge Hotel, is Skelwith The unmistakable outline of the distant Langdale Pikes as seen across the short reach of Elterwater. (F. Leonard Jackson) Force. The fall drops only about twenty feet, but over the lip tumbles all the water gathered from the mountains around the Langdale valley, and for this reason the fall is impressive.

Elterwater village

The village is picturesquely set around a small village.green, partly shaded by a large tree. On one side of the green is the old inn which carries a fine sign. A more delightful scene would be hard to imagine. Looking up the valley from the village you can see the Langdale Pikes rising in all their glory.
Shop. Youth hostel. Bowling green. Bus service to Ambleside. Chapel Stile. The further up the valley you drive the more impressive the mountain scenery becomes. Chapel Stile is a cluster of stone built houses situated about halfway along the Langdale valley.

Little Langdale

The valley of Little Langdale is entirely different from Great Langdale. The road through the valley is narrow and twisty and the surrounding heights do not appear as spectacular. In the middle of the valley is Little Langdale Tarn; nearby there is an old packhorse bridge, a beautiful scene for artists and photographers.

At the foot of the valley is Colwith Force, a ninety foot waterfall in a sylvan setting. Parking to see the waterfall is difficult and a key to a gateway should be obtained from a cottage near the start of the path. The road out of the valley ascends Wrynose Pass, a steep narrow road which becomes congested at times. The road then continues into the Duddon Valley or over the Hardknott Pass, a steep climb with hairpin bends, into Eskdale. At the top of Wrynose Pass is a stone pillar inscribed Lancashire. This was the meeting place of Lancashire, Westmorland and Cumberland.

About Hawkshead and Coniston

Hawkshead is one of the quaintest and most picturesque villages in the north of England. The houses in the centre of the village have added extensions, often over the lanes. This gives rise to many narrow passageways which are a delight to explore. Hawkshead is very reminiscent of the fishing villages of Robin Hood's Bay or Clovelly. All the houses and small gardens are a wealth of flowers in the summer.

Near the National Trust Information Office is a cottage with a low entrance; over the door is written Bend or Bump. The church is situated on a hill with fine views of the surrounding countryside. It is also a good place to get your bearings in the village below, before entering its maze of side-streets. The most famous inhabitant of the village was William Wordsworth who was a scholar at the grammar school. It was founded in 1585 by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York, who was born at nearby Esthwaite Hall. The school contains a desk where Wordsworth has carved his initials. He was at the school from 1779 to 1787 and he lodged during this time with Ann Tyson. Her cottage is situated in the maze of houses in the centre of the village. At the side of the cottage, and reached by an outside staircase, was a small chapel.

To the north of the village is the Court House which was used by the monks of Furness Abbey. It is now a folk museum furnished with items from the Abbot Hall Museum, Kendal. The building is administered by the National Trust. Hotels and Inns: King's Arms Hotel, Queen Head Hotel, Red Lion, Sun Inn. There a number of cafes, gift shops, stores banks, a garage, post office, pottery, two information centres and toilets. Youth hostel (I mile south). Bus service to Ambleside and Coniston.

Minibus service to Tarn Hows and Windermere, via Windermere Ferry. The Lake District Information Service issues a leaflet of three walks around Hawkshead. Angling: Licences from the Post office, Hawkshead. Pony Trekking: Tarn Hows Hotel, Hawkshead. This is one of Lakeland's most famous beauty spots. Three tarns have been merged into one. You can park your car in the car park and wander around the banks of this lake set high in the hills. Visible from the shore of the lake are many mountain tops including Wetherlam, Fairfield, Helvellyn and the Langdale Pikes.

A descriptive leaflet of the trail is available at most information centres. A one-way road system operates to Tarn Hows; the only approach is frorm: Hawkshead and the Coniston road is downhill only. Toilets, car park. Barngates. North of Hawkshead the signposts point uphill to Barngates. At the crossroads is situated the quaintly named Drunken Duck Inn. The inn received its unusual name many years ago when a barrel of ale at the inn burst and some of the ale seeped into a feeding trough. The ducks ate the ale-soaked corn in the feeding trough and became drunk. The landlady, seeing the ducks lying motionless in the road, plucked them for dinner thinking them dead. When she discovered they were alive she knitted them some wool garments to keep them warm. There is a fine view from the inn over Windermere.

Near and Far Sawrey and Beatrix Potter

Sawrey is divided into Near Sawrey and Far Sawrey, reached from Hawkshead by a road along the eastern side of Esthwaite Water and set in well wooded surroundings. Beatrix Potter, the author of many children's stories, lived at Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey. The house was given to the National Trust when she died and is open to the public. It was around these villages that Beatrix Potter got her inspirations for the beautiful animal illustrations in her books. The road from Near Sawrey descends to the pier on Windermere where the ferry crosses the lake to Bowness. There is a 6-mile waymarked route along Claife Heights above Windermere. A leaflet is available from the Tourist Information Offices.

Tower Bank Arms Inn, Sawrey Hotel. Post office, stores. Minibus service to Hawkshead and Windermere. Bus service to Ambleside and Coniston.

Esthwaite Water is the Forestry Commission's Grizedale Forest. The village of Grizedale is the Forestry Commission's Centre. The information office or camp shop will give on the spot details. There are two forest trails, the Millwood Forest Trail, and the long Silurian Way. It is recommended that the latter one is done in two parts. there is a wildlife centre, and observation hides for photography can be booked from the Chief Forester. Fishing is allowed in Grizedale Beck and tickets can be bought from the camp shop. There are numerous small car parks and picnic sites in the area. Grizedale possesses a small theatre where music recitals are performed and there are also lectures and slide and film shows.

Coniston village

Coniston village is overlooked by Coniston Old Man, which was the highest point in Lancashire at 2,635 feet. The mountain side is riddled with old copper mines which are now disused, but which were once a thriving industry. The village is situated between Yewdale Beck and Church Beck near the lake which bears its name.

In the centre of the village, outside the car park, is a memorial to Donald Campbell. He was killed on January 4th, 1967, while attempting to raise his own world water speed record on Coniston Water. The record stood at 276.33 m.p.h.; when he crashed it was estimated that he was moving at about 320 m.p.h. A number of the hotels around Coniston have mementoes of his stay in the village while waiting for the right conditions. There are also some photographs of him with Bluebird in the small Ruskin Museum.

John Ruskin and Brantwood

John Ruskin lived at Brantwood, on the eastern shore of Coniston Water, from 1872 until his death in 1900. The house is open to the public and there are a large number of paintings by Ruskin and contemporary artists. The gardens have a display of rhododendrons and azaleas. There is also a nature trail laid out in the grounds of the house. Ruskin lies buried in Coniston churchyard, after his family turned down an offer for him to be buried in Westminster Abbey. His gravestone is in the shape of a Celtic cross.

The Old Man of Coniston

The ascent of Coniston Old Man is frequently undertaken. On a fine Sunday in summer it will just be a matter of following everyone else. The track starts near the Sun Hotel, or alternatively the Walna Scar road can be followed to a gate where the quarry road turns off. The ascent is made through the quarry to the summit cairn. From the summit can be seen all four of Lakeland's three thousanders and to the west you can see across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. The National Park issues a leaflet describing three walks around the area. Dow Crags to the west is a noted rock climbing area.

There are a number of cafes, shops, garages, banks, a post office and toilets. Two youth hostels. Bus service to Ambleside, Hawkshead, Ulverston. Angling: Licences from M. Nicholson, Shop 3, Lakeland House, Tilberthwaite Avenue, Coniston. Pony Trekking: Spoon Hall, Coniston.

Climbing and walking in the Lake District

If you are planning a climbing or walking holiday in the Lake District, work out your route before you travel to make the most of this stunning region. Climbing and walking routes can be found at any tourist information centre in the Lake District, and some of Windermere´s best hotels can be found online.