Parking
Start at the National Trust Great Wood car park on Borrowdale Road (B5289), beside Calf Close Bay about 1 mile south of Keswick. The loop begins at the car park, not at the separate Great Wood woodland map pin.
Overview
About Great Wood Walk
Great Wood Walk is a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) circular walk from the National Trust Great Wood car park, with the distance covering the complete loop and its short car-park connector. Allow about 1 hour 15 minutes. This is a short but properly hilly woodland walk, not a flat stroll around the lake.
Why go
- Short woodland loop with Derwentwater glimpses
- Convenient starting point near Keswick
Heads up
- Rough, wet footing makes it less casual than the distance suggests
- Views are intermittent rather than a full lake panorama
Choose this when you want a compact forest walk near Keswick and do not need a major summit panorama. For a broader, more open outing, take a longer Walla Crag or Great Wood and Derwentwater circuit instead. Dogs may use this route, but keep them on leads around livestock and wildlife. No hiking permit is normally needed on this public walking route.
Parkwolf’s verdictWho should choose itMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation89–198 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 Great Wood Walk, 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
Great Wood: Walla Crag or Woodland Loop0:00 / 1:09
“You're drawing close to Great Wood car park, where you can start a walk up Walla Crag for a wide view over Derwentwater.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Derwentwater and Friar’s Crag
- Ashness Bridge and High Seat
- Keswick: Market Town and Castle Head
- Cat Bells: Ridge and Lakeshore Loop
- 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 Great Wood Walk
The routeFrom the car park, the path climbs through Great Wood on rough gravel and rocky tracks, reaches…
From the car park, the path climbs through Great Wood on rough gravel and rocky tracks, reaches the higher eastern side beneath Walla Crag, then curves back down to the starting point. The trees open in places to views toward Derwentwater, Catbells, Keswick, and the surrounding fells. Side paths lead toward longer Walla Crag and Derwentwater walks, but they are different routes.
What it feels likeThe appeal is woodland atmosphere, bracken, and intermittent lake and fell views.
The appeal is woodland atmosphere, bracken, and intermittent lake and fell views. The catch is the footing: several sections are uneven and can hold water, so the climb feels more substantial than the mileage suggests. Morning or late-afternoon light is best at the forest edges and viewpoints. There are no dependable drinking-water facilities on the loop.
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.
