Loweswater is tucked away on the western fringes of the Lake District and is one of the least visited lakes in the area. Despite being close to the coast, the lake drains inland, emptying to the sea via Crummock Water and the River Derwent. This makes the geography rather unusual, as the head of the lake is an insignificant watershed, whereas the foot of the lake is rooted in the Lakeland fells, with Mellbreak in particular looking impressive.
The Fangs Brow road passes along the north side of the lake and although there are parking spaces at the west and east ends of the lake there is no access to the lakeside. On the south side of the lake, there is a National Trust woodland – Holme Wood – and a pleasant lakeside path which leads to the Holme Wood bothy, which can be rented from the National Trust. Within the wood and slightly uphill is the waterfall of Holme Force but unfortunately we did not visit it this time, so something left for another visit.
Location and Parking
Postcode: CA13 0RU
There are two parking areas on the Fangs Brow road at the west end of the lake. These are simply open spaces beside the road, so are easy to find, however as noted above these do not give access to the lake. The Loweswater car park can be reached by continuing beyond the east end of the lake and turning south down a narrow track (which did not appear on our sat-nav!) to reach a small car park close to Maggie’s Bridge. From there a path leads to Holme Wood and the lakeside path.
Loweswater
The path towards Loweswater gives open views south towards the Loweswater Fells. These are not particularly high, but provide quieter and gentler walks than the more popular fells around Buttermere, and there are a few craggy outcrops typical of the Lakeland Fells.
Low Cloud On The Loweswater Fells
The lake is reached after about 0.5 miles level walking, just past Watergate Farm.
Loweswater and Low Fell
The lakeside path enters the National Trust forest of Holme Wood, and from the path there are views of Mellbreak across the lake. As noted above, Loweswater is unusual, as the view towards Mellbreak and the other higher fells is in fact looking towards the foot of the lake rather than its head.
Mellbreak from Loweswater
In the middle of the wood is Holme Wood Bothy, a small stone building which can be rented for a ‘get away from it all’ holiday. The National Trust describe it as a ‘stone tent’, as there are no furnishings, electricity or drinking water. There is however a log burner for a bit of heat in the winter.
Holme Wood Bothy
Beyond the bothy, the path continues towards the east end of Loweswater, however just after crossing a stream, a path turns at right angles up the hillside towards Holme Force, a small slender waterfall on Holme Beck. We have not visited the waterfall, so unfortunately have no pictures to show!