Hawkshead is the nearest town or village.
OS Grid Reference: SD331944
By Road:
From the North (this route is not suitable for coaches):
Take the
A591 to Ambleside, leave Ambleside on the A593 signposted to Langdale/Coniston.
Take first left on the
B5286 to Hawkshead, take the road round Hawkshead and follow the B5286 south; first right
at tourist sign "Theatre in the Forest", follow the road to Grizedale
Forest for about 2
miles.
From the South and the route for all coaches:
Leave the
M6 at junction 36 and follow the A59; take the first exit from the A590
signed for Barrow. Follow A590 past Newby
Bridge and shortly afterwards, Haverthwaite crossroads, where you right turn,
following tourist signs for "Grizedale
Forest Park", then following signs for Satterthwaite/Grizedale north.
By Rail:
Grange to the south and then by bus or taxi. Windermere to the
east then by bus or taxi.
Whinlatter Forest Park
How to get there:
By road from Keswick
Take the A66 west towards Cockermouth. At Braithwaite turn west onto the
B5292 for Lorton. Follow Visitor Centre Sign Posts.
Whinlatter Forest Park is
England’s mountain forest. Rising to 792 metres above sea level it
provides stunning views of the Lake District and beyond into Scotland.
There are many exciting things to do here: we have listed just a few of
them:
The Whinlatter Altura Mountain Bike
Trail is a thrilling development within Whinlatter Forest Park. The 18
kilometre bike trail is the longest purpose built trail in the Lakes with
15 kilometres of brand new single track trail. The trail was built by Hugh
Clixby who has experience of building trails at Dalby in North Yorkshire
and Cannock Forest in the West Midlands. The trail is being sponsored by
Altura, clothing manufacturer for cyclists. Bike hire is provided by
Cyclewise from Penrith, who are also able to provide mountain bike
training.
A new Go Ape course is
being planned for Whinlatter Forest Park. This thrilling adventure
course will include bridges made from rope, "tarzan" rope swings and zip slides
as high as forty
feet up in the trees! You'll be fitted with a climbing harness, told how
to do it, and then ascend into the canopy where you can move from tree to tree
looking down on the forest
floor far below! This should all be ready by summer 2008 - see the
Visitor Centre for details.
The Lake District
Osprey Project is
a partnership between The Forestry Commission and Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds and of course is supported by the Lake District
National Park Authority.
The Bassenthwaite Ospreys are wild ospreys
which nest in the forest overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake every year.
Facilities include an open air viewpoint and indoor hide and an exhibition
including live video pictures from video cameras overlooking the osprey
nest. You can enjoy the birds from April to September annually. To find
out more, have a look at the
Lake District Osprey Project website or see the amazing images from
the live camera
trained on the Ospreys' nest.
Other Forestry Commission places!
Noble Knott
The tranquil car park at Noble Knott, with its stunning views across the
Derwent towards Skiddaw and Dodd Wood, is a great place to commence two
waymarked trails. From Noble Knott you can walk along a circular route to
the topmost point of Grisedale Pike (792 m) or you can just enjoy a picnic
before visiting the Whinlatter forest Visitor Centre.
Revelin Moss
Located at the base of Grisedale Pike, Revelin Moss saw the initial
planting of coniferous trees by the new Forestry Commission in 1919; it's
now the base for Europe's first permanent "trail orienteering" way. The trail
and a network of associated paths offers some gentle walking -
perfect for the very young, people with pushchairs and wheelchairs, and
those who don't wish to tackle strenuous walks. Enjoy a walk along
well-maintained gravel paths with spectacular views of Grisedale Pike.
Dodd Wood
Dodd Wood car park is
located at the bottom of Skill Beck. You can begin three walks of
different lengths and difficulty here, including a challenging summit
walk.
Looming high above Bassenthwaite Lake, the Dodd offers unrivalled views of
Derwent Water and Dumfries and Galloway. If you can get to the summit,
your reward is magnificent views!
If not,
there is a variety of attractive waymarked walks from a central car park -
all facilities included, such as picnic areas, a cafe and gents' and
ladies' toilets. For
those of a less fit disposition, the tearoom provides a wide range of home
cooking. Another idea is to eat your own food in a picnic under the
towering Douglas firs. You can also visit Mirehouse, a house set in
fantastic grounds and once residence of James Spedding, a famous literary
figure a couple of hundred years ago, HIs family still own it, and the
whole property is unspoilt and reminiscent of the English country manor
house. You can visit from April to October. Get your tickets at the
tearoom.
