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7.54 km · ~283 m ascent · ~2–2.5 h · loop · 1 summit

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Hard steepnessLoopPlanned

Hawkshead into the woods

7.54 km
Distance
~2–2.5 h
Typical time
~283 m
Ascent
1
Summit
Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Key facts

Distance 7.54 km
Ascent ~283 m
Descent ~283 m
Time ~2–2.5 h
Best season Year-round; a good foul-weather or hot-day choice under the trees. Forest tracks get muddy.
Type Loop
Start Hawkshead Car Park
A quiet woodland circuit from Beatrix Potter’s Hawkshead that climbs to the great cairn on Latterbarrow — a little fell with a big reward, looking clean down Windermere and across to the Coniston fells — then drops back through the trees. Dappled, sheltered and dog-friendly, with a proper viewpoint in the middle.

✎️ Bags Latterbarrow (244 m) and its landmark cairn — a modest top with a view out of all proportion to its height.

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Difficulty profile

LengthEasy7.54 km — a short outing.
SteepnessHardSteepest sustained pull about 27% around the 5.6 km mark.
TerrainModerateForest tracks plus field paths.
NavigationModerateWaymarked, but the forest tracks branch — keep an eye on the map.
ExposureEasyLow-level throughout; no real exposure.

Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Gates only
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Gentle descent
  • Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
  • Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
  • Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.

On the line: 18 gates · 6 kissing gates

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Daylight & turnaround

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 67 m to 245 m over 7.5 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 250 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 245 m 67 m 0 km 7.5 km 1

1 Latterbarrow

Easy 87%Moderate 11%Hard 2%Severe

~283 m
Total ascent
245 m
High point
72 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 7.54 km with around 283 m of ascent, taking in 1 summit. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Latterbarrow5.3 km273 m1:31–2:00
Finish7.5 km283 m1:59–2:38

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.

The walk, stage by stage

  1. 1

    Hawkshead Car Park → Latterbarrow (5.3 km, 273 m)

    Climb of about 273 m over 5.3 km (around 5% average).

    Depart the cobbled streets of Hawkshead, crossing the valley pastures towards the hamlet of Colthouse before entering the sprawling, dense coniferous plantations of Claife Heights. Navigate the winding network of broad forestry tracks, steadily gaining elevation through the timber, before finally breaking out of the dark tree line onto the open fell to tackle the short, steep grassy pull to the summit of Latterbarrow

    Waypoints

    Hawkshead Car Park, Colthouse, Claife Heights forestry tracks, Latterbarrow summit obelisk (244m)

    Decision point

    Inside the plantation, rely on the distinct waymarker posts at major junctions, but monitor your GPS or map closely as the commercial forest looks identical in all directions. Once you breach the tree line, the towering, mortarless stone obelisk on Latterbarrow's summit is impossible to miss and acts as a perfect visual beacon guiding you up the final ascent

    Easy to get wrong

    While the gradient is generally gentle and lacks the exposure of the high fells, the commercial forestry tracks are notorious for holding deep, clinging mud, especially following timber extraction. Active logging operations can frequently alter the landscape overnight, leaving paths chewed up by heavy machinery and older maps rendered useless by new clear-felling or stacked brash

    If you need to get off

    The vast network of forestry tracks offers numerous, highly sheltered escape routes. If the weather turns or you become disoriented in the woods, simply follow any wide, descending primary logging road; they all eventually spit you out onto the tarmac lanes bordering Windermere to the east or the Hawkshead valley to the west

  2. Latterbarrow → Finish (2.3 km, 9 m)

    Descent of about 174 m over 2.3 km.

    Leave the summit obelisk and take the much shorter, direct path dropping south-west straight off the fellside. Descend the steep grassy slopes to quickly rejoin the lower fringes of the woodland, following the heavily rutted, often wet tracks back past the buildings at Colthouse, before crossing the final low-level fields to return to the Hawkshead car park

    Waypoints

    Latterbarrow obelisk, south-west descent path, Colthouse, Hawkshead village finish

    Decision point

    The descent path from the monument is deeply worn and highly obvious. Once you are off the steep upper fell and back into the pastures, the sightline of Hawkshead's white-washed buildings and the prominent church spire in the valley below provides an unmissable visual target to guide you home

    Easy to get wrong

    The initial grassy descent directly off the summit cone is surprisingly steep; after heavy Lake District rain, this heavily trafficked trod turns into a slick, polished mud-slide that can easily put you on your back. In the height of summer, the lower pasture paths leading into the village become congested with casual walkers and livestock

    If you need to get off

    Because this is a very short, direct descent stage, the route itself is your fastest and safest escape to the valley. Stick strictly to the main path heading downhill; do not be tempted to stray east into the pathless woods or bracken to find a shortcut, as this will lead you away from Hawkshead

Summits bagged (1)

  1. 1Latterbarrow244 mSouth Lakeland · Outlying Fell

Getting there & parking

Hawkshead Car & Coach Park (paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
The main Hawkshead car park - Latterbarrow and Claife Heights. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Latterbarrow (layby, south) — 1.6 km from the start (straight line)
1.5 km from Latterbarrow.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Moor Top Car Park — 1.8 km from the start (straight line)
2.7 km from Carron Crag. Fees: First 20 min free; first hour £2.20; then £0.55 per 15 min; all-day max £14. ANPR pay-on-exit (Forestry England, checked Aug 2026). Free for Forestry England members (checked Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Hawkshead Hill car park — 1.9 km from the start (straight line)
1.2 km from the 'Holme Fell and Black Fell' route start; 1.2 km from the 'Tarn Hows circuit' route start. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Water, shelter & getting away

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

Buses

The 505 stops at Hawkshead, at Tourist Information Centre, 90 m from this start. The last bus is 20:43 towards Kendal (505) and 19:55 towards Coniston (505) and 19:03 towards Ambleside (505), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

The 505 passes this route at 7.5 km (Hawkshead, at Tourist Information Centre, 50 m off the line).

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”
Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

Safety & conditions

  • Forest tracks branch and re-cross — follow the waymarks.
  • Muddy after rain; occasional forestry operations.
  • Lanes near Hawkshead; livestock in the fields.

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.

Make it easier or harder

Easier and harder options coming soon.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Bank Ground Farm (opens in new tab) guest house

about 3.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Third on usefulness rather than distance. It is the only property in the whole 60-candidate cluster whose own page names high chairs, cots AND stair gates, and one of only two with an EV charger; six en-suite B&B rooms plus cottages sleeping two to sixteen means one family or four can book the same place. The reason to read it before booking is the dog rule: dogs stay on the farm, in kennels, not in the house.

Worth knowing: “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses. Please click here to see more details about our kennel facilities.”

Arthur Ransome set Swallows and Amazons at this farm, and the original film was shot here in the 1970s; there are on-site kennels because dogs are welcome on the land but not inside the houses.

  • Dogs “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses. Please click here to see more details about our kennel facilities.”
  • Family rooms “The traditional farm buildings have been converted into cottages of different sizes, sleeping two to sixteen. They make an ideal base for a romantic getaway, a gathering with the gang or a family break.”
  • Evening meal “Let our fab chefs prepare you lovely meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
  • Children “High chairs, cots and stair gates are available on request.”

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park (opens in new tab) caravan site

about 4.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Ninth, and it sits at the very edge of the radius at 4.82 km, but it is the only property in the cluster with a HEATED launderette and a drying room together - the difference between a salvageable and a ruined second walking day. Add a children's playground, a woodland adventure course and a fenced-free area to run a dog off the lead, and it is the strongest wet-weather option here for a family that is camping or in a touring van.

The park holds more than 400 pitches and 320 privately owned static caravans across 130 acres of woodland, laid out in small glades so it reads as a much smaller site, and it keeps a free lending library on site.

  • Drying room “Our heated launderette and drying room will help you clean up after your latest lakeland adventure, or dry out your clothes after a wet day out.”
  • Dogs “You can also exercise your dog off the lead here.”
  • Children “Younger members of the family will love our recreation field, woodland adventure course and recently revamped children's playground.”

High Wray Farm (opens in new tab) guest house

about 2.7 km from the start, in a straight line

Eleventh, and it is a single-fact record on purpose: it is the ONLY property among the 29 cached pages in this cluster whose owner states, in her own voice, that the accommodation is fully accessible for a wheelchair user. For a walking party with someone who cannot do stairs, that one sentence outranks a dozen better-furnished pages. Everything else about it is unstated.

The self-catering unit is a converted stable inside the farm steading, and the owner states it was fitted out to be fully usable by a wheelchair user - the only such claim on any property page in this cluster.

Also nearby, but not independent

Esthwaite Lodge - Hawkshead Youth Hostel (YHA Hawkshead) (opens in new tab) hostel

about 1.3 km from the start, in a straight line

Second despite not being independent, because on the cluster's own published evidence it is the single most family-and-walker-shaped bed within 1.5 km: it is the only property inside 3 km that publishes a drying room, a cot, a high chair, ground-floor rooms and free parking together, and it serves breakfast at 07:30 - two hours earlier than anywhere else here. The catch a family must know first is that a dog can only come if you are camping or hiring the whole place.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Hawkshead, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation or when hiring the whole hostel or courtyard through YHA Exclusive Hire. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

The hostel is Esthwaite Lodge, a Regency house above Esthwaite Water, and its grounds now hold a glamping village of pods, cabins and tipis - which is also the only part of the site where a dog may stay.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “Cot available”
  • Evening meal “Under 10s eat for £1 with our special offer (see menu for details).”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Hawkshead (see sample menu ).”
  • Parking “Parking: There is free parking on site and an overflow car park for use during busy times.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

Low Wray campsite (opens in new tab) campsite

about 4.1 km from the start, in a straight line

Thirteenth. Recorded mainly for the two rules that will otherwise bite at checkout: a two-night minimum, and a four-adult cap that applies even if two families book separate pitches - so a group of six adults cannot use this site at all. Against that it offers a laundry, a play area, showers, campfires and one of the very few genuinely wheelchair-accessible sleeping options in the cluster.

It caps every booking at four adults - even across separately booked pitches - to keep the site quiet, and its lake-view cabin is a wheelchair-friendly pod with adjustable beds and 1.5 m turning circles.

  • Dogs “Dogs welcome per pitch 2”
  • Children “They sleep two adults and two children, or three adults. Some of these pods are dog friendly.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

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