Parking
No dedicated trail car park. Use village parking, including Broad Street Car Park, then walk to the lower entrance beside Windermere Hotel. Windermere Station is about three minutes from the start.
Overview
About Orrest Head
An out-and-back walk of 3.5 km (about 2.17 miles) round trip, starting from the narrow lane beside the lower entrance to Windermere Hotel and climbing to the Orrest Head summit before retracing the same way. Ascent is 120 m, with a high point of 238 m at the top.
Why go
- 360-degree summit views for modest effort
- Accessible tarmac and gravel route
- Train and bus accessible
Heads up
- Steep 1:4 opening gradient
- Popular and can be busy
The summit gives 360-degree views over the length of Windermere, the central fells and parts of the Kentmere horseshoe. Compass benches at the top help you place what you are looking at.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe PayoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation126–230 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 Orrest Head, 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
Orrest Head: A Short Climb for the View0:00 / 1:07
“You're coming up to the Orrest Head walk in Windermere, a short climb with a wide-open view over the lake and fells.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Windermere Jetty: Boats and Boatbuilders
- Bowness: Beatrix Potter or Brant Fell
- Windermere at Bowness
- Ravens: An Upside-Down Flight
- 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 Orrest Head
What You PassThe official sequence begins on tarmac through Elleray Wood, then takes an accessible gravel…
The official sequence begins on tarmac through Elleray Wood, then takes an accessible gravel detour along a restored Victorian carriageway. Beyond that comes a walled garden, beech woodland with benches, and views opening toward Wansfell, Stoney Cove Pike and Ill Bell. A Victorian kissing gate and memorial inscriptions lead into small oak and mountain ash woodland, and finally onto the open summit.
Difficulty and FootingThis is a modest amount of effort for a large view, but the accessible variant is not flat: it…
This is a modest amount of effort for a large view, but the accessible variant is not flat: it is tarmac and gravel, and the steepest opening section reaches about 1:4. The red alternative paths include steps, steeper slopes, and rough rock and roots, and are not part of the accessible route.
Shade and ExposureThe woodland stretches offer shade, while the summit is open.
The woodland stretches offer shade, while the summit is open. Some of the summit terrain is rocky and exposed, so take care where you place your feet near the top.
Access and ParkingThe start is about 3 minutes from Windermere Station, which has train and bus connections.
The start is about 3 minutes from Windermere Station, which has train and bus connections. There is no dedicated car park for the trail, so use village parking, including Broad Street Car Park, and walk to the lower entrance beside Windermere Hotel.
Dogs and a Longer OptionDogs may be brought along.
Dogs may be brought along. Nearby fields can hold sheep or cattle, so keep dogs under close control and use a lead where appropriate. If you want more distance, there is a longer 4.3 km circular variant, which is rougher and takes in fields, lanes, a stile and a bridge.
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.
