This article titled “The other Lake District: a guide to the quiet and beautiful western Lakes” was written by Lisa Johnson, for The Guardian on Saturday 2nd August 2014 06.00 UTCSeveral years ago, when I was staying near Windermere, quietly resenting all the other tourists I had to share Hill Top, Dove Cottage, Brantwood and Blackwell with, I read that Britain’s favourite view was not of anywhere in the busy south and central Lakes but of Wast Water, in the western Lake District, which I’d never heard of. So, I drove there and was duly transfixed – as I was by the views of Crummock Water and Buttermere in the north-west. And I pretty much had them to myself. Subsequent visits have cemented this view: the western Lakes aren’t only the quietest part of the Lake District, they’re also the loveliest.
Eskdale
Wow factor With hairpin bends and 20-degree gradients, the Hardknott Pass might be the most terrifying road in the Lakes. Below it stands the ruined outline of Hardknott Roman Fort, built in the second century under Hadrian. In the depths of winter, the 500 Balkan soldiers stationed here to guard the Tenth Highway from Ravenglass probably wanted to throw themselves off. But on a hot summer’s day – as sheep nibble grass among foxgloves and the vestiges of the antique bath house – the views are sensational: plunging to the foot of Scafell to the north, sweeping west down the Eskdale valley to the Irish Sea.
The most exhilarating route into the valley is on the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway, a train that trundles through seven miles of woods and pastureland before stopping at Dalegarth, just outside the village of Boot. Cyclists can bike back to Ravenglass on the Eskdale Trail.
What to do For memorable views of the Eskdale Horseshoe and Isle of Man, hike up Harter Fell (an easy four miles). For an enchanting low-level walk (of about two miles), park by Trough House Bridge (where children launch themselves into a natural pool), and wend your way along a lush ravine to Stanley Ghyll Force, an 18-metre drop into crystal-clear water. Return via the 12th-century St Catherine’s church, crossing the sparkling river by way of the ancient stepping stones. For canoeing, ghyll scrambling and the like, contact Eskdale-based West Lakes Adventure .
Where to eat, drink and stay At the top of the valley, the Woolpack Inn has lots of places to sit and plenty to eat and drink, including tatie pot of Herdwick mutton, wood-fired pizzas, micro-brewed beers and 50 vodkas. It is glorious sitting here in the evening sun, gazing at the fells, as children tinker on the outdoor piano. Down the road, the Brook House Inn serves popular food (including beef and beer pie) in a traditional interior hung with photographs of Victorian huntsman Thomas Dobson, surrounded by his hounds. The Boot Inn, meanwhile, now run by the family who own Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass, was recently given a gastro makeover; next up are the nine rooms, which are currently dated but fine (doubles/twins from £60 B&B). For campers, there is the magical Fisherground (adults £6.50, children £3.50, vehicles £2.50): two fields, a pond with tyre rafts, an adventure playground, and wheel rims to make fires in. The steam train from Ravenglass stops here; jump on one of the open carriages to make the most of the views on the 10-minute ride into Boot.
Wasdale
Wow factor Wild and remote, the Wast Water valley is beautiful, with immense screes on its eastern shore and the almost perfect pyramid of Great Gable, flanked by Kirk Fell and Lingmell, at its head. It comes into view in one heart-skipping moment, as you emerge from trees at the south-west end of the lake, and rattle over a cattle grid past sheep on the road. Wast Water, at 79 metres, is the deepest lake in England, while tiny St Olaf’s, near the north-east shore, is a contender for smallest church.
What to do Head up 978m Scafell Pike (via the six-mile “Tourist” route beloved of three-peakers, or the tougher eight-mile Corridor route) and other challenging fells such as Kirk Fell and Great Gable. Or follow the ghostly Corpse Road to Burnmoor Tarn (seven miles): the route to St Catherine’s, in Eskdale, by which the Wasdale community took their dead – strapped to the back of horses – before St Olaf’s was consecrated in 1901. For a gentle Wasdale meander, follow the path from the inn to the church, admire the roof beams (which are thought to have come from Viking ships), then turn left to Burnthwaite Farm, and walk up the valley to the right of Great Gable. For a dip or wild swim, start at Overbeck bridge; to canoe on Wast Water, contact West Lakes Adventure.
Where to eat, drink and stay Integral to Wasdale’s history is the remote Wasdale Head Inn –originally Huntsman’s Inn – the birthplace of British rock climbing in the 1880s. Will Ritson was granted a licence here in 1856 and regaled the early pioneers of rock climbing with his tall tales of turnips big enough to store ploughs in. His legacy is the annual World’s Biggest Liar Competition, held in nearby Santon Bridge. Today, the interiors are decked with Abrahams brothers’ photographs of Victorians scaling Napes Needle in tweeds and bowler hats, while walkers eat steak and ale pie or take a pint of golden ale out to the beck at the back, and cool their feet under the packhorse bridge.
The rooms here are good, ranging from standard singles to superior doubles (singles £59, doubles from £118 B&B), including Yewbarrow and Garden, which have king beds and private gardens. You can camp here, too, although the Wasdale National Trust campsite (nationaltrust.org.uk, from £19.50 for two adults in a small tent) on the eastern shore is more secluded, with 120 pitches for tents, eight for campervans, two brand-new tipis (under Scafell Pike and Great Gable) and three camping pods.
Ennerdale
Wow factor On the road to Ennerdale Bridge, there are not only sheep in the road, but cows too, and shimmering views to St Bees Head. From here, some 10,000 walkers a year embark on the Coast to Coast, the 192-mile Wainwright walk to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. Ennerdale, with its lake surrounded by crags and cloaked in conifer plantations, is traditionally the first stop on this walk, but otherwise little visited, partly because access is so restricted. You can drive to Bleach Green on the western shore and Bowness Knott in the north-west, and that’s it, unless you have permission to continue east to the Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre. As a result, the valley is a haven of peace, with a wealth of wildlife (including the occasional red squirrel) and almost no light pollution: Low Gillerthwaite is one of the country’s few Dark Sky Discovery Sites. What’s more, Wild Ennerdale, a partnership led by the Forestry Commission, National Trust and United Utilities, is intent on preserving and enhancing this wilderness: its extensive rewilding project is now in its 12th year.
What to do Challenging walks from Bowness Knott include 755m Red Pike to the north (six miles) and 892m Pillar to the south (nine to 14 miles, depending on the route); a circuit of the lake is about eight miles. For an easy hour’s stroll, park at Bowkness Knott and follow the trail up to Smithy Beck then back down to and along the lake – when I went, the only sound was the hysterical laughter of teenagers messing about in canoes. You can bike from here, too, but not swim: Ennerdale Water is a reservoir.
Where to eat, drink and stay There are two pubs in Ennerdale Bridge: the elegant Shepherd’s Arms, which serves good food (try the open ploughman’s) and The Fox and Hounds, a community-run pub – sup a beer from the Ennerdale microbrewery. The next stop for many coast-to-coasters is the recently renovated Black Sail YHA (beds from £23, private rooms from £54), six miles east of Bowness Knott and accessible only on foot. An idyllic alternative is Ghyll Farm B&B (singles from £45, doubles from £77 B&B), 1.5 miles from Ennerdale Bridge. It has three serene, sparkling rooms with super-king or twin beds and walk-in showers; two open on to a courtyard garden, which in turn looks over lawns, meadows and Crag Fell. It’s run by Roger and Chris Parker, who are a great source of local information. For campers, there’s a field opposite The Fox and Hounds, or contact Wild Ennerdale for permission to camp in the wild.
Lorton Vale
Wow factor Lorton Vale takes in a series of valleys and a trio of lovely lakes: Loweswater, Crummock Water and Buttermere. Approaching from Cockermouth, the landscape is lush and gently rolling, the village of Lorton is well-to-do and quiet: divided into Low and High Lorton, it is best known for its 12th-century church and the vestiges of a 1,000-year-old yew tree, immortalised in Wordsworth’s poem Yew Trees.
Things get progressively more majestic as you reach the lakes: first Loweswater to the west, then Crummock Water, with Mellbreak Fell looming close, and finally Buttermere, with Haystacks at its head. Beautiful Buttermere was Wainwright’s favourite lake, and has two pubs and delicious ice-cream at Syke Farm Tea Room; it can get touristy, but was peaceful enough outside the village when we visited. When you have to leave, make sure you take the Honister Pass: snaking up past fern-edged screes and slopes strewn with massive boulders, the drive is a huge adrenalin rush.
What to do Walk up Haystacks (about five miles), where Wainwright’s ashes were scattered; from Buttermere to Rannderdale Knotts (about three miles), or through the “secret” Rannerdale valley, where native Brits and Norsemen defeated the Normans in the early 12th century. Alternatively, do a circuit of Crummock Water, including a detour to the dramatic 52m Scale Force waterfall (eight miles), then park at the south-west tip of Crummock Water and go for a paddle, swim or canoe trip.
Where to eat, drink and stay With its stuffed foxes and mounted fishing flies, The Wheatsheaf Inn in Low Lorton is a great place for a pint of Jennings (originally brewed in what is now the village town hall). For lunch or supper, reserve ahead at the 16th-century Kirkstile Inn in Loweswater, which serves excellent food and Loweswater Gold ale in a bewitching setting right in front of Mellbreak Fell and beside St Barthomolew’s church, just above a trickling beck. There are 11 rooms here, one with a four-poster (doubles from £99 B&B), or book at Wood House (doubles from £110 B&B), which has an equally privileged location overlooking the southern end of Crummock Water, two beautifully old-fashioned guestrooms and a drawing room full of Victorian lakeland paintings and prints. A great camping option is at Dalegarth Guest House (adults £7, children £3) on the northern shore of Buttermere. The terraced, 335-pitch camping ground is steps from the shore, the village pubs are only a 15-minute walk along the lake, and the sunsets are sublime.
Way to go
Getting there
Rail travel was provided by Virgin Trains (virgintrains.co.uk, London Euston to Lancaster, from £14.50 one-way) and TransPennine Express (tpexpress.co.uk, Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness from £12 one-way). WhiteVeeDub (camperbug.co.uk/WhiteVeeDub) rents VW campervans for £450 a week in September and £550 midsummer; shorter breaks also available
Further information
western-lakedistrict.co.uk, golakes.co.uk and walklakes.com
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