Tarn Hows

I've recently returned from a short break in the Lake District; three days in an AirB&B establishment near Coniston, followed by a few days with a relative in a nearby town.

I was determined to climb at least one 'Wainwright' (a Lakeland peak of at least 1000ft) but our first day was overcast, with low-lying cloud obscuring the hilltops, so we chose a low-level walk from Coniston to Tarn Hows.

Tarn Hows has long been a favourite of ours, ever since we went there on rainy day in 1969, before we were married. Here's a photo from 2010, when a pre-Slimming World Angie was to be seen enjoying the sunshine.  You'll notice that I wasn't dressed for hiking; we parked in the National Trust car park.

This was a relatively simple trek  – a nice 'warm up' for the following day's mountain climbing.

Just outside Coniston we came to this odd-looking structure, built in mock-Gothic style by the wealthy Victorian landowner of Monk Coniston to house his fox hounds.  An information board inside explains, "Picturesque ruins were considered a desirable landscape feature in Victorian times; if you didn't have an old castle in the right place, you simply built one."

The mist still lay low over the Grizedale Forest hills as we trekked along the Cumbria Way. After about 3 miles and a climb of 500ft we passed the NT car park, and I confess to feeling somewhat smug as I surveyed those lesser mortals who had taken the easy way up.  Fellow fell walkers will doubtless recognise the feeling, but oh Angie, you big-head!  On every other visit I too had been driven to that car park.

Once upon a time there were just three very small tarns here, but in 1862 James Marshall MP (he of the Gothic dog house) gained possession of the land, dammed the stream and created this beauty spot.

In the distance, and still shrouded in cloud, stands Coniston Old Man, our objective for the following day. For this day, though, all that remained was a rewarding ice cream at the aforementioned car park, then a pleasant 3 mile ramble back to Coniston.