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Tarn Hows
Route facts
Waterways:
Coniston Water »
Distance: 4.97 miles / 8 km
Duration: 2 - 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Circular route from: Waterhead Car Park, near Coniston
This agreeable walk, also suitable for children, follows well-marked pathways and is at its best in early spring.
Start - from the Waterhead car park and go left around the head of Coniston Water to meet the B5385. Cross the road and turn right, through a gate to follow a fenced path alongside the road. The path rejoins the road at Boon Crag Cottage (1), near the turning to Boon Crag Farm. The cottage and farm used to be part of the vast Monk Coniston Estate, now in the ownership of the National Trust. The estate formerly belonged to James Garth Marshall, Member of Parliament for Leeds, who studied the metamorphic rocks of the surrounding area and contributed significantly to modern geological understanding.Go past Boon Crag Cottage and the farm turning, and after the next cottage, go left through a gate into a field. Keeping parallel with the B-road, press on to reach the side road that leads up to Tarn Hows. Cross it to reach a bridleway (signposted to Tarn Hows) and follow this, rising gradually and pleasantly through pines, past a series of small pools and through a wall gap, until the track levels, before crossing a beck.Keep on, ignoring branching pathways until you arrive at a fork. Go right, ascending by a narrowing path beside a wall. Soon, turn left, once more on a wider trail, and follow a wall to meet a road, beyond which lies a parking area for the disabled. Within strides you are following a well-made track that completely circles Tarn Hows (2), a fascinating tour, with outstanding views and reassuring glimpses of familiar fells, among them the Old Man of Coniston, Wetherlam, the Langdale Pikes and perhaps Helvellyn on a clear day.It is far from evident these days, but Tarn Hows was originally created to supply water to a saw mill in Yewdale, its overflow spilling in dashing style down the ravine of Tom Gill. Later, it was owned by Mrs William Heelis, better known as Beatrix Potter, who sold half to the National Trust for what it cost to buy, and bequeathed the remainder.Anyone wanting a much briefer visit to Tarn Hows can ascend through delightful oak woodlands from Glen Mary Bridge, via Tom Gill, visiting its shady, crag-enfolded waterfall. John Ruskin, who lived at Brantwood on the shores of Coniston Water, felt Tom Gill deserved a more picturesque name and so bestowed upon it the title 'Glen Mary', hence Glen Mary Bridge, as its foot.The complete circuit of the tarn brings you back to the outflow, beyond which you go through a gate to a track ascending to the road. Follow the road, right, past the car park and continue for almost half a mile to a signposted footpath on the right. The path, flanked by a wall and mature oak woodland, leads to Tarn Hows Cottage (3).Take a path signposted to Low Yewdale and Coniston, passing through two gates before turning right on to a broad, descending track to Yewdale Beck. Go left, beside the beck, cross a stile, heading for a gate and bridge. Do not cross the beck.Through a gate, turn left still beside the beck and then rising between walls and fences before easing down to Boon Crag Farm (4). Keep on, between farm buildings to rejoin the main road at Boon Crag Cottage, where you turn right, to retrace your steps to the car park.
Getting there
Parking: Waterhead Car Park.
