Tarn Hows

Tarn Hows sits about two miles northeast of Coniston village, a perfectly oval lake set among conifers and mixed woodland with the higher fells rising behind. The National Trust maintains a circular walk of about one and a half miles around the tarn on well-surfaced paths that are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs, making it one of the most inclusive walks in Lakeland.

The car park fills early on summer weekends and the access roads are managed as one-way to handle the traffic. Come on a weekday morning in spring or autumn for something closer to solitude. The views across the tarn towards the Langdale Pikes on a clear day justify the reputation, however artificial the setting. It is about a three-mile walk from Coniston village, or can be reached by car.

things to do sight
A story
Tarn Hows is not natural. The current tarn was created in the mid-nineteenth century by a local landowner who dammed a stream to flood three smaller tarns into one. The surrounding woodland was planted, the paths were laid out, and the whole thing was designed as a picturesque landscape. It is now owned by the National Trust and visited by around half a million people a year — making it one of the most-visited places in the entire Lake District despite being entirely artificial.