Thirlmere

Thirlmere is one of the less busy areas of the Lake District, usually a view seen from the car as you travel between the tourist centres of Keswick and Ambleside, but the lake provides some stunning views and if you get there at the right time you may see low level flypasts of military aircraft.

Thirlmere, just south of Keswick, in the Lake District, is a 3.5-mile-long, 158-foot-deep reservoir that was formed in 1894 by damning two smaller lakes and drowning two villages in the process – Armboth and Wythburn, to supply water to Manchester. It is still owned and maintained by United Utilities. The road over the dam at the northern end of the lake has been closed to vehicles but is still accessible by foot or bicycle. The lake is bordered by the Helvellyn range to the east and High Seat and Blueberry Fell to the west and offers a variety of scenic, wooded shoreline walks.

There is plenty of parking along the A591, from large lay-bys to dedicated car parks like those at Swirls, with spaces for around 80 vehicles, and Legburthwaite.

I started out from the roadside lay-by on the A591 near Legburthwaite and directly opposite the old access road to the dam.

From the lay-by, cross the A591 and follow the road past the farm and caravan park towards the dam. I decided to walk across to the dam for the views but at the time I visited the reservoir was choppy and clouded over even though most of the area was in bright sunshine.

Retrace your steps back from the dam until you reach the road barrier and you will see a United Utilities permitted path up into Greathow Wood. Head up the steps and follow the path into the woods.

***The steps take you up to the United Utilities permitted path through Greathow Woods***

The path leads you along the shore of the reservoir but views down to the water are hidden by the trees, especially during spring and summer when foliage is likely to be dense. Eventually though you come across a number of areas where you can get views across the lake.