Summer is walking season, and some of the most beautiful spots in the Lake District (if we don’t say so ourselves) are around Thirlmere in the North Lakes.
Recently, our friend ‘The Taxi Driver’, documented a circular walk from Legburthwaite Thirlmere Reservoir to Swirls Car Park, and boy did he pick a beautiful day to do it!
See the full walk write-up on the Walking with the Taxi Driver site.
About Thirlmere
Thirlmere is a man-made reservoir, that was flooded from two smaller lakes, submerging the villages of Amboth and Wythburn. The valley was dammed by the Manchester Corporation in 1894 to provide drinking water for the growing population of Manchester. The level of the water is now 16 metres higher than the height of the two former lakes.
Thirlmere is the longest gravity-fed aqueduct in the country, with absolutely no pumps on its route down to Manchester. It takes about a day for the water from Thirlmere to reach Manchester. Despite being man-made, the woodland and mountains surrounding Thirlmere make it one of the most pleasant and scenic places to visit in the Lake District.
Mountains near Thirlmere
The obvious one to start with has got to be the majestic, Helvellyn. Voted Britain’s favourite walk, Helvellyn has being capturing the imagination and ambitions of Lake District visitors for decades!
Other mountains and hills surrounding Thirlmere include: The Wythburn Fells; Fairfield; Dollywagon Pike; Armboth Fell; High Seat; High Tove, and Castlerigg Fell. Let’s not forget our favourite little walk up Great How and Raven Crag, where you can overlook Thirlmere in all its majesty.
Villages and Towns near Thirlmere
Grasmere and Keswick are the two closest populations to Thirlmere. The village of Grasmere is a quaint little place, famous for its Lake District Gingerbread, and overlooked by the impressive Lion and Lamb fell (aka, Helm Crag).
Keswick is the biggest and closest town to Thirlmere, with an impressive array of restaurants; bars; outdoor shops, and boutique local enterprises.
The Legburthwaite, Thirlmere Walk
The Taxi Driver’s walk takes you on a pretty little lakeside tour. An easy-to-moderate walk, along easy to follow paths and rolling, valley-floor terrain. Legburthwaite is at the northern end of Thirlmere in St John’s in the Vale near Keswick. You can start your walk either from the carpark at Legburthwaite, or directly from Dale Head Hall Lakeside Hotel.
We look forward to seeing more of The Taxi Driver’s beautiful footage of Thirlmere, but in the meantime, why not come and discover the tranquil majesty of Thirlmere for yourself?
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