Parking
Gummers How Car Park is reached from the A592 via Fell Foot Brow, about half a mile uphill. The Forestry England lot is free and has roughly 20 spaces.
Overview
About Gummer's How
Why go
- Huge Windermere panorama for a short walk
- Clear summit payoff with a trig point
Heads up
- Steep steps and rough ground near the top
- Small car park
- Cattle can churn the path into mud
For a walk this short, the view is out of proportion to the effort: Lake Windermere and Lakeside below, the southern lake country spread out, the surrounding Lakeland fells, and on a clear day a long look toward the coast and the eastern hills. The summit is properly open, so there is nothing blocking the panorama.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation204–309 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 Gummer's How, 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
Gummer's How: A Short Summit Walk0:00 / 0:57
“You're coming up on the walking access for Gummer's How, a short climb with a surprisingly big view over Windermere. I'd choose this stop if you want a proper fell summit without setting aside half the day.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fell Foot: Boathouses and Lakeshore
- Coppicing: Trees That Grow Back
- Valleys Shaped by Ice
- Stott Park Bobbin Mill and High Dam
- 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 Gummer's How
The route in shortA circular loop of 1.5 miles (about 2.
A circular loop of 1.5 miles (about 2.4 km) round trip, starting and finishing at the access path beside Gummers How Car Park. Allow about 45 minutes at an ordinary pace, including time to stand about at the top. That total distance covers the whole loop, out and back, not just the climb.
How the walk unfoldsFrom the car park you pick up a clear public footpath that runs through and along the pine…
From the car park you pick up a clear public footpath that runs through and along the pine plantation, crossing a small stream on the way up. The climb steepens onto stone-pitched steps through the trees, then eases onto rougher open ground with one short rocky step near the top. The summit is rocky and heathery with a trig point at 321 m (1,053 ft). The return drops around the west side of the hill on a minor path before rejoining the ascent route back to the car.
Difficulty and footingCall it moderate-easy, around 4/10. It is not flat, and it is not an accessible path.
Call it moderate-easy, around 4/10. It is not flat, and it is not an accessible path.
Walking shoes or boots are sensible rather than trainers.
- Steady steep section on man-made steps
- Rough, rocky footing higher up where the path is less distinct
- One short rocky step that does not require technical climbing
- Published ascent figures differ depending on the start point and how it is measured, so treat it simply as a short but steep climb
Cattle, mud, and companyCattle graze the fell, and where they gather they can churn the path into mud, especially on…
Cattle graze the fell, and where they gather they can churn the path into mud, especially on the wooded lower section. Because the walk is short and scenic, expect families and other walkers on fine weekends.
Parking and accessGummers How Car Park is a free Forestry England car park with roughly 20 spaces.
Gummers How Car Park is a free Forestry England car park with roughly 20 spaces. Turn off the A592 onto Fell Foot Brow and drive about half a mile uphill. It is small, so a busy day can fill it, and it is worth having a fallback plan rather than counting on a space. Note this is a separate place from Fell Foot Park down by the lake.
DogsDogs are allowed on the public footpath.
Dogs are allowed on the public footpath. With livestock on the fell, keep them under close control and on a lead around cattle.
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.
