#8 of 80 sights in Lake District
Sight · Lake District National Park
A wooded mountain tarn with an easy loop and fell views
Overview
Tarn Hows is a designed Victorian landscape, not an untouched high-mountain tarn. In the 1860s, James Garth Marshall dammed a beck and joined three smaller natural tarns. The result is a beautifully composed stretch of water with wooded islands, open fell, and the Coniston hills rising behind it.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stopMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Tarn Hows: Lakeside or Fell Walk“You're coming up on Tarn Hows, a good choice for a gentle walk with water, woodland and fell views close together. Wooded islands break up the tarn, with the Coniston hills rising beyond the trees.”
Plays as you drive up to Tarn Hows in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The main National Trust car park is the practical place to navigate to. From there, the circular route around the tarn is roughly 1¾ miles on mostly smooth gravel paths with some gentle undulation. The National Trust presents it as suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but weather and small gradients still matter, so allow extra time if you use mobility equipment.
You can see the best of the water quickly from the viewpoint, or take the full loop for changing angles through woodland and open ground. This is a scenic walk rather than a strenuous hike. If you want a longer outing, paths continue towards Coniston and the surrounding fells.
The tarn supports a varied mix of aquatic and woodland habitat. Watch quietly for red squirrels, otters, and hares, especially where the path passes cover and quieter water. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the slow circuit gives you more chances than a quick photo stop. Keep dogs close and follow local guidance around ground-nesting birds and farm animals.
The car park has toilets, including an accessible toilet, and the viewpoint and loop are close by. Bring water, a snack, and a waterproof layer rather than relying on seasonal food vans. Wear shoes with decent grip: the route is easy by Lake District standards, but wet gravel and weather can still slow you down.
Tarn Hows is a good place to linger with a camera, but keep the composition honest: the beauty is in the ordinary details of reflected trees, rocky shore, and shifting light, not in a single guaranteed postcard view.
This is an excellent choice for a gentle, scenic half-day or a family-friendly walk. It is not the place for solitude at popular times, and visitors looking for rugged terrain may find the managed paths too tame. If time is short, make the viewpoint your first stop; if the water is calm, the full loop is worth the extra hour.
It is one of the Lake District's most rewarding easy stops. You get a proper landscape walk and good views without committing to a summit day, and the water changes character constantly with cloud, wind, season, and reflections.
Wildlife
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateTarn Hows, Black Fell and Holme Fell13 km · 5 hr · At the trailheadTwo fells, a flooded quarry, a waterfall and two tarns
EasyTarn Hows Circular Walk3.2 km · 1 hr · 0.1 km awayWide gravel loop around a landscaped tarn beneath grazed fells
ChallengingTom Gill to Tarn Hows Walk2.6 km · 1.3 hr · 0.6 km awayScramble beside waterfalls to a Victorian tarn on a steep 1.6-mile loop
EasyMonk Coniston3.7 km · 1.5 hr · 2.1 km awayAn accessible lakeside link with big Coniston Water and fell views
ModerateCathedral Cavern from Tilberthwaite6.1 km · 3 hr · 2.5 km awaySlate tunnels, a 40ft quarry chamber, and Slater's Bridge on one loop
EasyHigh Tilberthwaite to Little Langdale Ford and Slater Bridge5.9 km · 2 hr · 2.5 km awayAn old quarry track to a river ford and historic Slater Bridge
EasyElterwater Trail10 km · 3.5 hr · 2.7 km awaySlate country crossing from Coniston to Elterwater via Slater's Bridge
EasyYewdale Bridleway4.8 km · 1.3 hr · 2.7 km awayStone track under rocky fells, oak woods and a timber footbridge
Sight · 2.9 km awayHawksheadCobbled lanes, white cottages, and a church above old market squares
Visitor center · 3 km awayHawkshead Information CentreYour base for Hawkshead walks, bikes, and onward routes
Visitor center · 3 km awayConiston Information CentreA practical base for maps, walks, and local Coniston advice
Sight · 3 km awayThe Ruskin MuseumBluebird K7 anchors a rich story of Coniston, copper, and culture
Sight · 3.1 km awayConiston VillageA characterful village base beneath the Old Man of Coniston
Sight · 3.1 km awaySteam Yacht GondolaA Victorian steam yacht gliding beneath Coniston's fells
Sight · 3.9 km awayBrantwoodRuskin's house, winding gardens, and a big Coniston Water view
Sight · 4.6 km awayEsthwaite WaterA quiet lake for fell reflections, wildlife, and slow waterside walksParkwolf’s Lake District ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
