Route: Circuit of Loweswater
Area: Western Lake District
Date of walk: 19th February 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.3 miles
Weather: very low cloud and mist
The lakeland fells were hardly visible today, being cloaked in a layer of low cloud, and a high level walk would have been pointless so we decided to revisit Loweswater
We normally park at Maggie’s Bridge but we guessed (rightly as it turned out) that the small car park might be full on a weekend, so drove further along the Loweswater road and parked in one of the roadside spaces near the foot of the lake
We followed the path past Hudson Place and down to the shore. Instead of following the wide track through Holme Wood we kept to the narrow shoreline path which merges with the main one later on
After passing the head of the lake we began the return leg, along the Loweswater road at first, and then joined the lakeshore path back to the start
It’s a shame that much of the glorious landscape wasn’t on show today – to see this walk in a better light click here
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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The day before the walk was miserable - heavy rain, high winds and low clouds - but there was plenty of action in the garden. Here is a wren…
…great spotted woodpecker…
…nuthatch…
…yellowhammer…
…and red squirrel
The squirrel spots something and seeks safety in a tree
A stoat has hunted down a rabbit and kills it with a bite to the neck (the second time I’ve seen this happen in the space of a few days)
The stoat carries the dead rabbit away
An amazing sight to witness
Next morning, the start of the walk as we follow the Loweswater road for a short distance
Loweswater
Breakfast is served
The path to Hudson Place
Loweswater, with just the feet of the fells visible below the clouds
We cross the footbridge over the outflow of the lake
Looking back to where Darling Fell ought to be
Loweswater and Holme Wood
We were hoping for some more gaps in the clouds but they soon closed up again
Approaching Hudson Place
The foot of Burnbank Fell
We descend to the shore of Loweswater…
Loweswater
Stand well back as Bonnie performs The Shake
We enter Holme Wood, managed by the National Trust
The lakeshore path
We cross Holme Beck
The bothy at the edge of the lake, available to rent from the National Trust
We leave Holme Wood near the head of the lake
Thrushbank on the far side of Loweswater - we’ll be walking past there shortly
We follow the track from Watergate Farm - the surrounding fells have gone awol
The Loweswater road, which we follow for a short distance
We pass by Thrushbank
A ray of sunshine at last
We join the lakeshore path near the pinfold…
The path along the shore runs just below the road
Looking across to Holme Wood, and the thin white line of Holme Force
Back to the start of a walk that’s always a pleasure in all weathers
