Parking
Use the Finsthwaite Church car park at the published start, near LA12 8BJ. High Dam and Stott Park Bobbin Mill are alternate access points, not the mapped start for this loop.
Overview
About Finsthwaite Tower and The Knott
Why go
- Ancient woodland and a distinctive 1799 folly tower
- Compact route with varied scenery and heritage stops
Heads up
- Steep, potentially slippery woodland sections
- Road and railway bridge crossing near Newby Bridge
Finsthwaite Tower is a distinctive stone folly built in 1799 to commemorate four naval victories. Great Knott Wood adds ancient trees, veteran yews, ferns, mosses, bluebells, wild garlic, and seasonal fungi, while the open ground gives occasional views toward the surrounding fells and Morecambe Bay. The Charcoal Burner sculpture is a worthwhile short excursion from the main track, and the return passes the preserved Newby Bridge Halt.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation48–178 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Finsthwaite Tower and The Knott, 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
Finsthwaite: Woodland and the Tower0:00 / 0:56
“You're drawing near the walking access for Finsthwaite Tower and The Knott, a woodland outing with a curious stone tower tucked into the route.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Newby Bridge: West Windermere Way
- Fell Foot: Boathouses and Lakeshore
- Stott Park Bobbin Mill and High Dam
- Graythwaite: A Garden That Changed the View
- 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 Finsthwaite Tower and The Knott
The routeThis 3.5-mile loop starts at Finsthwaite Church and usually takes 1½ to 2 hours.
This 3.5-mile loop starts at Finsthwaite Church and usually takes 1½ to 2 hours. It crosses fields into Great Knott Wood, passes the Bobbin Sculpture, and climbs through woodland to Finsthwaite Tower. From the tower, the route descends toward Newby Bridge, crosses the railway bridge, passes Newby Bridge Halt, then returns by bridleway, woodland track, and four fields to the church.
What it feels likeThis is a short but properly hilly walk, with woodland paths, grassy fields, tracks, steps, and…
This is a short but properly hilly walk, with woodland paths, grassy fields, tracks, steps, and a steep zig-zag descent. The climbs are brief rather than mountainous, but wet ground and uneven surfaces make sturdy footwear worthwhile. The route is a good fit for walkers who want a little effort and a lot of history without committing to a fell day.
PracticalitiesPark at Finsthwaite Church car park and follow the Greenwood Trail waymarkers.
Park at Finsthwaite Church car park and follow the Greenwood Trail waymarkers. Keep dogs on a lead through the working farmland around the Tower Fields. The route reaches a public road and railway bridge near Newby Bridge, so take care at the crossing. There is no need to use the High Dam or Stott Park Bobbin Mill car parks unless you deliberately want a different starting point and route length.
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.
