Parking
Start at Bowness Knott car park at the western end of Ennerdale Water. It is pay and display, and no vehicle access continues beyond the car park.
Overview
About Ennerdale Forest Road
Why go
- Long remote valley on broad gravel road
- Big mountain views without a fell scramble
- Accessible for some mobility users
Heads up
- The return leg is as long as the outward walk
- Loose gravel and steeper sections limit accessibility
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation120–291 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Ennerdale Forest Road, narrated.
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 trailhead
Bowness Knott: Waterfall or Forest Walk0:00 / 1:12
“You're approaching Bowness Knott, where you can leave the car for a waterfall walk or head much farther into Ennerdale Forest.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ennerdale Water from Bleach Green
- Kinniside: A Circle Put Back Together
- Crummock Water: Cinders and Grasmoor
- Loweswater: Holme Wood and Lakeshore
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Ennerdale Forest Road
The basicsThis is an out-and-back route: you follow the forest road from Bowness Knott car park to Black…
This is an out-and-back route: you follow the forest road from Bowness Knott car park to Black Sail at the head of Ennerdale, then return the same way. The distance quoted is the full round trip of 18.5 km (11.5 miles), and most people take about 5 hours at a steady walking pace with a few stops.
How it unfoldsThat far end is the payoff, and it feels genuinely remote.
That far end is the payoff, and it feels genuinely remote. Remember that reaching it means you are only halfway.
- Leave the car park on the wide path, dropping downhill toward the lake shore.
- Follow the forest road along Ennerdale Water and on up the valley, close to the River Liza in places.
- The corridor passes through woodland and more open felled and replanted ground, with the fells opening up ahead, including views toward Pillar Rock and Great Gable.
- The turnaround is Black Sail, a former shepherd's bothy that is now a remote youth hostel, tucked right at the valley head.
Difficulty and footingModerate, and the difficulty is mostly about length rather than terrain.
Moderate, and the difficulty is mostly about length rather than terrain. The surface is broad gravel forest road and track the whole way, so route finding is simple, but expect loose gravel and wet patches as a normal feature rather than an occasional problem. Cumulative ascent over the round trip is roughly 450 m, spread out, though a few short sections are steeper than 1:8.
On the official accessibility scale this is graded for some, not fully level or universally accessible. Mobility scooters need to be class 2 or 3.
Access and parkingStart at Bowness Knott car park at the western end of Ennerdale Water.
- Start at Bowness Knott car park at the western end of Ennerdale Water. Parking is pay and display.
- No vehicle access continues beyond the car park, so everything past that point is on foot, bike or hoof.
- There is no direct public transport to the trailhead, so plan on driving or cycling in.
- There are no reliable services along the route. Carry your own water, food and layers.
Dogs and other usersDogs are welcome on this public route.
Dogs are welcome on this public route. Keep them under close control around livestock, wildlife and other people, since the forest road is shared with walkers, cyclists and horses. Stay aware and be ready to step aside on blind bends.
A different option nearbyIf you want something shorter, the Ennerdale Water Loop is about 11.
If you want something shorter, the Ennerdale Water Loop is about 11.7 km, but it is a different kind of day: rougher and scrambly in places, especially around Robin Hood's Chair. Pick the forest road for distance on easy footing, and the loop for rockier, more hands-on walking.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
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.
