Parking
Start at Dodd Wood car park, CA12 4QE, just off the A591 near Keswick. Parking is pay on exit using automatic number plate recognition.
Overview
About Sandbed Gill Trail
Why go
- Short loop with a stream crossing and lake views
- Good woodland wildlife potential
Heads up
- Damp, uneven footing around the gill
- No summit panorama on this route
The narrow, uneven and sometimes wet sections mean this route is not recommended for wheelchairs or all-terrain mobility scooters.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth knowingMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation116–195 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 Sandbed Gill Trail, 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
Dodd Wood and Bassenthwaite Views0:00 / 1:18
“You're drawing near Dodd Wood beside Bassenthwaite Lake, where you can choose a climb above the trees or a shorter walk among towering Douglas firs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Barf and Lord's Seat from Powter How
- High Side: Skiddaw via Longside Edge
- Skiddaw and Latrigg from Gale Road
- Noble Knott: Two Short Woodland Loops
- 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 Sandbed Gill Trail
The basicsA circular loop of 3.25 km (2 miles) that starts and finishes at the Dodd Wood car park.
A circular loop of 3.25 km (2 miles) that starts and finishes at the Dodd Wood car park. Reckon on around 86 m of climbing and roughly 45 to 50 minutes of walking, longer if you stop at the viewpoints.
How the walk unfoldsFrom the car park the yellow waymarkers lead north through a mix of conifer and broadleaved…
From the car park the yellow waymarkers lead north through a mix of conifer and broadleaved woodland, then bring you across Sandbed Gill, the quiet highlight of the route. Beyond the crossing the trees open up enough for views toward the northern end of Bassenthwaite Lake, and the return leg drops back through semi-natural and mixed woodland to where you started.
Difficulty and footingEasy to moderate for a short walk.
Easy to moderate for a short walk. The surface is a mixture of forest roads and surfaced footpaths, but sections are steep, narrow and uneven, and the ground near the gill can stay damp underfoot. Wear shoes with grip rather than anything you mind getting muddy.
Getting thereAll Dodd Wood trails begin at the Dodd Wood car park, CA12 4QE, just off the A591 near Keswick.
All Dodd Wood trails begin at the Dodd Wood car park, CA12 4QE, just off the A591 near Keswick. Parking is pay on exit using automatic number plate recognition, so you drive in, walk, and settle up on the way out.
Scenery and wildlifeThe appeal here is close-up woodland rather than big open fells: moss and ferns crowding the…
The appeal here is close-up woodland rather than big open fells: moss and ferns crowding the stream, tall conifers, and glimpses of the lake through the trees. Red squirrels live in these woods, and Bassenthwaite is known for its ospreys, so keep your eyes up and your voice down. Neither is guaranteed on any given visit.
DogsDogs are welcome on the route and should be kept under control throughout, in line with the…
Dogs are welcome on the route and should be kept under control throughout, in line with the forest code.
Worth knowingIf you want wide panoramas instead of woodland close-ups, the Dodd Summit Trail is a much…
- If you want wide panoramas instead of woodland close-ups, the Dodd Summit Trail is a much steeper 6.5 km circuit to the 502 m top. That is a harder day out, not an extension of this one.
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.
