Cool Places
Tarn Hows
Tarn Hows, LA21 8DP, 1 mile off B5285, Coniston to Hawkshead road
If the mountains seem too high and forbidding, then it has to be a stroll around Tarn Hows – considered by many to be the loveliest of the Lake District’s many beauty spots. It’s a gorgeous lake (‘tarn’ in the local vernacular), owned and maintained by the National Trust, and it takes around an hour to potter around – a lot longer in summery, picnic weather. Native red squirrels haven’t been entirely pushed out by the greys here yet, and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest there’s plenty to see at any time of year. You can drive to Tarn Hows (though you pay for parking), or simply walk up the country lanes and paths from either Hawkshead or Coniston (the tarn is about 2 miles from either).
