Rambles

• Armathwaite and Coombs Wood, Armathwaite - (3.5 miles / allow 1.5 hours)

The Eamont Way

The Eamont Way (5.5 mile/8.8km) is walking route from Penrith Railway Station to Pooley

Bridge Steamer Pier, offering an ‘Active Travel’ alternative to the car, bus, or taxi.  

The route closely follows the course of the river Eamont, crossing it twice. It starts with a series of signed pedestrian crossings from the railway station to the edge of the town, then follows a series of signed footpaths, bridleways and ‘permitted paths’ to exit at ‘The Sun Inn’ in Pooley Bridge. From there it is less than 1/2 mile to the pier for the Ullswater Steamers where onward lake travel to Howtown and Glenridding is on offer and onward from Glenridding to Aira Force.

• For more information visit the Friends of the Ullswater Way website.

 

Ullswater

Enjoy the beauty of the Lake District National Park with walks around Ullswater.

The National Trust website lists some great walks around Ullswater:

• Aira Force and Gowbarrow trail (4.5 miles / 7km / 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours) has some dramatic walking routes, renowned in Victorian times as a beauty spot situated by Lake Ullswater near Watermillock. There is a tearoom and dogs on leads are welcome. There are Information boards situated in the car park which describe the walks or visit the Aira Force website.
  
  
• Patterdale and Glenamara Park trail (2 miles / 3.2 km / 1 hour) this walk offers stunning views of mountains and water and is suitable for all - but bring waterproof boots depending on the season as it can get pretty wet underfoot!
  
  
• Aira Force Glencoyne Farm trail, 3 miles (4.8km / 2 hours). Glencoyne is one of the largest hill farms in the Lake District. This circular trail will take you through the Grade II listed farm buildings (the earliest part built in 1629) and along to the remains of old charcoal pitsteads.  It passes Glencoyne wood, before bringing you back to the car park.
  
  
• Hayeswater Gill trail, 2 miles (3.2km / 2 hours). Hayeswater Gill runs down from Hayeswater Reservoir, which once fed into north-west England's water supply. From Hartsop village near Ullswater, follow the beck up to the reservoir on a circular walk surrounded by towering Lake District fells. Discover local mining and milling history as you go.

The Ullswater 'Steamers' website lists some great walks around Ullswater.  This includes walks from Howtown to Pooley Bridge, Howtown to Glenridding and a circular walk to Aira Force.

 

Westmorland Dales Geotrails

Discover three geology walks in the Westmorland Dales produced by the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme with grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Written by Elizabeth Pickett and designed by Marcus Byron with contributions from Cumbria Geoconservation.

The three walks include a Smardale Geology Walk, Orton Scar and Knott and Kirkby Stephen and Stenkrith. 

• Download the guides on the Friends of the Lake District website.

Walks in Eden's Nature Reserves

Why not explore one of the Nature Reserves in Eden? This gives you the chance to see meadows, ancient woodlands and grasslands as well as flowering plants, butterflies and dragonflies, birds and lots more wildlife.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Natural England manage several Nature Reserves in Eden including:

• Thacka Beck, Penrith
• Newton Reigny, Penrith
• Argill Woods, near Brough
• Argill Pasture, near Brough
• Waitby Greenriggs, near Kirkby Stephen
• Smardale Gill, near Kirkby Stephen
• Tarn Sike, near Orton, Penrith
• Cliburn Moss, near Penrith
• Great Asby Scar, Orton
• Tarn Moss, near Penrith
  
  

North Pennines National Landscape

Discover Eden Walking Series

This is an excellent series of walks in Eden, originally produced by the East Cumbria Countryside Project and can be downloaded from the Eden Rivers Trust website.  Routes include:

Appleby-in-Westmorland, Hoff and Great Ormside walk: (7 miles/11km).  A walk with a castle, two churches, two rivers, two water mills and a waterfall

• Appleby-in-Westmorland, Hoff and Great Ormside walk
  
  

Brougham and Eamont Bridge Trail: (3¾ miles/6 km). A walk with two rivers, a Roman fort, a castle, a fortified manor house, and two ancient henges

• Brougham and Eamont Bridge trail
  
  

Church Brough Walk: (6¼ miles/10km) is a walk through an ancient farmed landscape, with two churches, a Norman castle, a river, a pub and a castellated folly.  There are stunning views every step of the way.

• Church Brough walk

Crosby Ravensworth Walk: (3.5 and 6 miles/ 5.5km and 10km).  A walk with a church, a ruined 14th century tower house, lost villages, heather moors and woodland, and the source of the River Lyvennet

• Crosby Ravensworth walk

Kirkby Stephen, Ewbank Scar and the Nine Standards Walk: (4 3/4 miles/7.5kms). A walk with a small cathedral, a Viking god, exotic parrots, wild woods, a towering limestone cliff and nine mysterious cairns

• Kirkby Stephen, Ewbank Scar and the Nine Standards walk
  
  

Ravenstonedale and Smardale: (7.5 miles/12km). A walk with two nature reserves, three pubs, an ancient church and priory, a flower rich meadow, a meandering beck, Giants' Graves and a railway viaduct

• Ravenstonedale and Smardale walk

Shap and Rosgill: (4.5 miles/7.5km).  A walk through cattle country with the River Lowther, mysterious earthworks, standing stones and the ruins of an Abbey.  There are spectacular views of the Lake District mountains

• Shap and Rosgill walk

Lacy's Caves Walk: (4.5 miles/7km). A walk discovering a water mill, the river, a hermit's cave, a lost village, a church and a druids' circle

• Lacy's Cave walk

Please note: The footpath is closed from Little Salkeld to Lacy’s Caves until further notice and is not accessible.

Mallerstang, Wild Boar Fell and Pendragon Castle Walk: (5¾ miles/9kms).  A walk along an ancient green highway with mountains, an iconic sculpture, a deep gorge, a waterfall, the Settle-Carlisle railway, and the infant River Eden

• Mallerstang, Wild Boar Fell and Pendragon Castle walk