Hills and Fell Walking in the Lake District

Welcome to The Lake District dot eu, the site dedicated to the stunning Lake District of northern England. Find local fells, hills, walking routes and other info with our pages.

Walk the fells and valleys of Lakeland and it willl be difficult not to fall in love and return time and time again. They have a magic that has to be experienced to be understood. The Lake District National Park produces numerous leaflets detailing every kind of route from easy strolls to challenging ridge walks. It's also possible to join one of the National Park guided walks that are organised on a regular basis. The Lake District National Park understands that not all walkers are fully mobile or physically super-fit and there are dozens of walks that can be negotiated by pushchairs, wheelchairs, the visually impaired, the physically less able and even the dogs that only want a gentle stroll. All of these routes are available on leaflets from the National Park in a series called 'Miles Without Stiles'.

No matter how beautiful, appealing and gloriously bathed in sunshine the fells appear to be, a walker should always remember to treat them with respect. Their aspect can change in minutes and for those unfamiliar with the terrain it's easy to stray away from a path and into possible danger if the weather closes in and visibility is reduced. All that's needed is a little foresight and preparation. Whatever sort of walk you set out upon, the walker should ensure that they are adequately provided with food and drink and appropriately clothed, carrying waterproofs and extra garments in case of an unpleasant change in weather conditions. It goes without saying that any footwear should be appropriate to the the sort of terrain that you are likely to be walking or scrambling across. Flimsy sandals should never be an option as a sprained ankle could be a result and not the best way to enjoy the rest of your holiday. Footwear should be walking boots or substantial enough to give some support to your feet and ankles. Another sensible thing to do is to just let someone know that you're heading for the fells, the direction in which you're going, and the time at which you would expect to be back. This may sound a bit alarmist, on a beautiful autumn day, but many walkers who have become lost, when the weather changed for the worse, have been more quickly located and brought down from the fells because someone raised the alarm when they didn't return and, more importantly, knew their intended route.

Once you have made yourself aware of what necessary preparations you need to make (and these become a habit rather than a task once you've done it a few times) you can then turn yourself to the more interesting and enjoyable job of planning your walks. The biggest decision will be, 'Which walk first?' There are so many places to walk to, from, over and through that you might need several lifetimes to enjoy them all.

Lots of visitors plan a holiday in Lakeland, the sole purpose of which is to do as much walking as possible. For other holiday makers walks will be only a part of the holiday. Depending on the sort of walking that you want to do, choose your centre first. It may be that you'll travel to a new starting point each day by car and do a circular walk back to your car. In this case you'll be able to go further afield for each walk. It may be that the location of the centre is important, as you'd wish to start out on your walk the moment you set foot outside your lodgings, caravan, tent or hotel and not use other transport at all. Another way might be to plan a route for your holiday that takes you to a different nightly stop each day, either with a tent or overnight lodgings in one of the many B&Bs to be found.

Lakeland has many different faces, from the more gently sloping and rounded foothills, to dramatic overhanging crags, sheer rock faces, and steep, rocky, boulder strewn slopes. You can find strenouous, challenging walks or, on the other hand, more easy strolls and ambles, in almost any district of the Lakes. When planning your holiday consider which sort of area you most want to be in. If you base yourself in the Keswick area you can easily find walks on Catbells, along Derwentwater lakeshore, to the Bowderstone, Friar's Crag, along the old Keswick railway line and through the River Greta Gorge, to Latrigg, or to Ashness Bridge, to identify just a few. Around Ullswater you'll find walks taking in Glenridding, Patterdale, Brotherswater and Pooley Bridge. Grasmere, surrounded by beautiful fells, can be a base for walks to Rydal Water, Loughrigg Fell, White Moss Common, the River Rothay and also Easedale. Windermere offers options of gently wooded slopes but also more strenuous walks to Orrest Head and Gummer's How. Only a mile from Windermere and Ambleside is a perfect starting point for many a walk. Still by Windermere and you'll find there are walks from Bowness to Cockshott Point, along the lakeside, and from Red Nab to High Wray Bay. Out of Ambleside and you come to the Langdale Valley and the Langdale Pikes. It's here that you can find walks to and from Elterwater and Chapel Stile, Skelwith Bridge and Blea Tarn. Visit Coniston and you have walks to, in and around Hawkshead, Esthwaite Water, Coniston Old Man, and Tarn Hows. If you base yourself around Wastwater, England's deepest lake, you can walk on Yewbarrow, Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell and to Wasdale Head. Not far away is Eskdale and, on the coast, Ravenglass. Visit Ennerdale and there is a forest road to walk. In the north and west of lakeland you'll find Crummock Water, Loweswater and Buttermere. From Buttermere you can walk on Wainwright's favourite Haystacks, climb to Rannerdale Knott or walk around the lake. Furthest north is Bassenthwaite, a designated National Nature Reserve. It's here that you can visit the wetlands nature reserve at Dubwath Silver Meadows and watch the wildlife and birds in this 'fen' habitat.

Many walks follow set routes for which leaflets and guides are available and which, on the ground, are well defined and signposted but, for the more experienced walker, there is the thrill of navigating tracks and pathways that are less obvious or take you away from the beaten track. The good news is that almost any way you choose to walk, on your boliday, you'll find the Lakes will accommodate your plans.