Brothers Water

The Hartsop circuit

The walk is the main event — an easy, mostly level loop of about 2.5 to 3 miles that's perfect for a half-day or an evening stroll. From the Cow Bridge car park, a level lakeside path runs down the western shore to Hartsop Hall, then returns through the woods and meadows of Low Wood on the eastern side. It's gentle, beautiful and quiet, with the steep fells of Dovedale closing in at the head of the valley. Our Fells & walks nearby box below has the surrounding summits, and the live conditions if you're heading up.

Why is it called Brothers Water?

This is the lake's most-searched question, and the honest answer is: it's a legend, not a settled fact. The water was once called "Broad Water," and the present name is generally said to come from two brothers who drowned here. The best-known version has two brothers drowning while skating, around 1812, when thin ice gave way over the lake's springs. But there's an earlier reference to "the Brothers" from 1789, and parish records have been linked to brothers named John and George Atkinson — so the dating doesn't all line up. We'd present it as exactly what it is: a poignant local etymology with more than one version, rather than a single verified event. Either way, the name has stuck for two centuries.

Hartsop Hall & the valley

On the western shore stands Hartsop Hall, a handsome 16th-century farmhouse (now a National Trust working farm) — one of the oldest buildings in the valley, and a lovely focal point on the circuit. Brothers Water sits at the very head of the Ullswater valley: its outflow, Goldrill Beck, runs north to feed Ullswater, and the lake is the gateway to Dovedale and the Fairfield/Dove Crag fells above.

Can you swim, and what fish are in it?

Swimming is done here — it's a quiet, cold swim with easy shore access — with the usual cold-water care (no lifeguards, ease in, it's cold year-round). The lake is small and shallow-ish, and like several Lakeland waters it holds perch, pike and trout among its fish; it's better known for its peace than its angling.

The fells

Brothers Water is ringed by fine fells and is a classic launch point for them: Hartsop Dodd and Brock Crags rise to the east above Hartsop village, High Hartsop Dodd and Dove Crag guard Dovedale to the south-west, and the Kirkstone road climbs over the pass behind. Check the Fells & walks nearby box below for the closest summits with full guides.

Getting there & parking

Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Windermere (14 km away) and Staveley (16 km away); the 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, in road end, 0.6 km from here in a straight line. The last bus from that stop: Towards Penrith Rail Station (508): 17:44, every day. Towards Keswick Bus Station (K) (509): 15:50, every day. Signed off against the operator’s timetable on 7 September; that is the day we checked, so check the operator’s timetable (opens in new tab) for your date. The bus map has every stop we hold.

Brothers Water is on the A592 — the Kirkstone Pass road — between Patterdale and the top of the pass, near Hartsop village. Cow Bridge, at the northern end, is the usual start for the circuit. It's an easy drive from Ullswater and Patterdale; from the south it's over the dramatic Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside. The car parks are small — come early on fine days.

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Brothers Water

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Where to stay & practical

Base in Patterdale or Glenridding by Ullswater — inns, hotels, a YHA and campsites — a few minutes up the valley, with Ambleside over Kirkstone to the south. Brothers Water makes a perfect short, gentle walk to pair with a bigger Dovedale or Fairfield day, or simply an easy, atmospheric hour at the foot of the pass.