Route: Lanthwaite Wood
Area: Western Lake District
Date of walk: 8th November 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 2.5 miles
Ascent: 400 feet
Weather: Mixed cloud and sun
This is one of our favourite walks and a perfect choice if time is limited, as was the case today
We parked as usual in the National Trust car park at Scale Hill. Instead of taking the obvious track ahead, which leads directly to the north shore of Crummock Water, we turned left up a narrow path through Lanthwaite Wood. At a junction we turned left again to continue uphill, climbing a couple of steep rocky staircases along the way
After leaving the woods via a deer gate we were soon at the top of Lanthwaite Hill, admiring the views over Lorton Vale, Loweswater and Crummock Water. We’d set off a little too late and the sun was already disappearing behind Mellbreak. We descended the easy path back into Lanthwaite Wood, and followed a path which hugs the edge of the woods, giving good views across to Lanthwaite Green and Grasmoor. There are numerous criss-crosssing paths through the wood and it would be easy to go astray. There’s no danger of getting lost if one simple rule is observed – keep the dry stone wall on your left
The path descends to the eastern shore of Crummock Water and, having arrived at the boathouse, we followed the shoreline path to the head of the lake. After admiring the view from the stony beach we followed the wide track leading through Lanthwaite Wood (an alternative route follows the bank of the River Cocker). This brought us back to the car park and the end of a wonderful short walk
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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We enter into Lanthwaite Wood from the car park at Scale Hill. Instead of following the obvious path ahead, we branch off to the left to follow a narrow path steeply uphill
We arrive at a junction and again branch off left
The start of a short, steep, but safe, rocky clamber
We leave Lanthwaite Wood and pass through the deer gate onto Lanthwaite Hill, or Brackenthwaite Hows
Whiteside ahead
We follow the line of the ridge, with Whiteside left and Grasmoor right
Looking north along Lorton Vale
Looking back along our path towards Loweswater
We arrive at the top of Lanthwaite Hill. Left to right are Lanthwaite Green and the foot of Grasmoor, Rannerdale Knotts, Crummock Water and the High Stile Range
Crummock Water from Lanthwaite Hill
Loweswater
We descend back into Lanthwaite Wood
We re-enter the wood via this deer gate
Autumn colours in Lanthwaite Wood
We follow the path beside the dry stone wall. There are numerous paths in the wood and the key to navigation is to keep the wall on your left...
Grasmoor
We turn towards Crummock Water and follow the course of a beck which flows into the lake
Boathouse on the shore of Crummock Water, with Mellbreak on the far side of the lake
We turn right at the boathouse and follow the lakeshore path...
Just beyond these Scots pines we turn left to descend to the stony beach at the foot of Crummock Water
Crummock Water
We turn our backs on the lake and follow the wide track back to the start
Back to the start, the River Cocker monitoring station at Scale Hill. The river is very full after recent heavy rain which caused minor flooding. but thankfully this is insignificant compared to November 2009
