Parking
There is no parking at High Brandelhow or Peace How. Park in Keswick and take the Keswick Launch to High Brandelhow jetty, the named start of this walk. Do not substitute the nearby park or jetty Maps listings for the trail start.
Overview
About Peace How Walk from High Brandelhow Jetty
This is a 3.7-mile out-and-back from High Brandelhow jetty to Peace How and back. The stored distance is the complete return walk; the map shows the physical trail once, about 1.85 miles each way.
Why go
- Peace How's bench and quiet views over Derwent Water
- Wetland boardwalk, woodland, fields, and shoreline in one walk
Heads up
- Boat-dependent start with no parking at the jetty
- Uneven field sections, a plank bridge, and a short road walk
Peace How is a small, quiet hill with views north over Derwent Water and south toward Castle Crag. Its slate bench marks a place given to the National Trust in 1917 as a place of peace after the First World War. Reeds and bog myrtle along the wetland section are worth slowing down for because they support insects and birds. The route is most appealing when you want a reflective low-level walk rather than a summit day. For a shorter, more parkland-focused outing, the nearby Octavia Hill walk at Brandelhow is a different option.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation79–129 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 Peace How Walk from High Brandelhow Jetty, 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
Derwentwater and Friar’s Crag0:00 / 1:04
“Up ahead is Keswick's lakeshore on Derwentwater, where a short walk gives you a view down the lake into Borrowdale.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lodore Falls: The Lower Viewpoint
- Cat Bells: Ridge and Lakeshore Loop
- Surprise View: Panorama Without the Climb
- Ashness Bridge and High Seat
- 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 Peace How Walk from High Brandelhow Jetty
The routeLeave the jetty along the lakeshore, then continue on the track past the houses.
Leave the jetty along the lakeshore, then continue on the track past the houses. At the fingerpost for Lodore, take the left fork and cross the first boardwalk through wetland habitat. A waymark then sends you right onto a grassy field path, through gates and over a narrow plank bridge to the road. Turn left, pass the Borrowdale Gates Hotel, and take the public footpath opposite for the final gradual climb to Peace How's slate bench. Retrace the same route to the jetty.
The feelThis is easy by Lake District standards, with mostly level or gently undulating ground and a…
This is easy by Lake District standards, with mostly level or gently undulating ground and a short, gradual finish. Expect a well-maintained lakeshore path, a broad boardwalk, unsurfaced grass, a short road section, and a narrow final path with one small patch of exposed bedrock. The field, bridge, and uneven sections make the full route unsuitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs despite the accessible boardwalk. Allow about 1¾ to 2½ hours with ordinary stops.
Access and dogsThere is no parking at High Brandelhow or Peace How.
There is no parking at High Brandelhow or Peace How. The practical start is the Keswick Launch to High Brandelhow jetty, and the landing is dependent on lake level and the seasonal boat service. Dogs are welcome, but keep them on leads near livestock. Photograph the bench and the Derwent Water outlook in soft morning or late-afternoon light, when the surrounding fells are less likely to look flat.
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.
