This walk to the summit of Latterbarrow from Hawkshead takes in some breath-taking views.
Hawkshead is one of the prettiest villages in South Lakeland. It has a charm of its own and one can easily imagine when wandering the narrow streets and squares of the village centre that nothing much has changed for hundreds of years.
It has of course, as tourists flock here attracted by two of the region’s biggest literary names: William Wordsworth, the poet who was educated here, and Beatrix Potter the writer and creator of Peter Rabbit who lived in Near Sawrey not far from Hawkshead.
It is also a lovely place to walk and not too far from the village is a hill called Latterbarrow, one of the very few in this area I have never visited, it wasn’t a disappointment when I did this walk. All I can say is that you should be prepared for some stunning views.
1 Leave the car park and turn right towards the main road, then turn left and carry on to reach a track on the right of the road as the main road bends left. The track is signposted ‘Wray Castle and Ambleside’.
Follow the track and cross a footbridge and stile and turn left then, at another sign saying ‘Wray Castle and Ambleside’, turn right then carry on and cross a stile then carry on to another stile and cross this then turn left along a track. There is a signpost saying ‘Wray Castle/ Ambleside’ to the left and to the right it says ‘Colthouse’ (see section 5).
Keep on the track, then on the right there is a gate stile with a footpath arrow and sign saying ‘Keep Dogs on a Lead’. Cross the stile and keep the wire fence on the right and follow the path up to another stile and cross this and keep on the path with the wire fence still on the right.
Reach another stile on the right, cross this and now the wire fence is on the left. Keep on the path to reach a stile by a double gate and cross this onto a tarmac road, Loanthwaite Lane, and turn right and follow the road up to a T-junction and then turn left.
2 Reach a gate and a stile on the right, cross the stile and climb up a limestone track passing a sign saying ‘Latterbarrow, National Trust’. The track becomes a path that forks with footpath arrows, take the left fork and follow the path as it steeply climbs for a short while before easing off and follow the path to the monument pillar on the summit of Latterbarrow.
3 Leave the monument on a path at approximately 30 degrees right from the direction of approach and go downhill to a stile and cross this and enter the woods. The path passes through a wall and keep on the path as it bends right, it actually forks but keep right, following the footpath arrow.
There is a high deer fence protecting a plantation on the right of the path with a stile crossing it, do not cross this stile but keep on the path. Follow the path as it goes around the plantation then go left down a set of steep steps then keep on as the path climbs up hill with a wall on the left.
4 The path joins a wide track with two footpath arrows pointing left and right, turn right and follow the track to a gate and go through this and the next gate further on and keep to the track. Pass through a high deer gate and keep on the track until a gate leads out on to a tarmac road, then turn sharp left.
5 A short distance down the road there is a track to the right with a sign saying ‘Croft Head Cottages’. Take the track and keep on to a footpath sign on the left and a sign for Croft Head, go left and through a wooden gate.
There is a metal gate ahead with a footpath arrow on the right gatepost pointing right, do not go toward the gate but turn right and keep the garden of Croft Head to the right keep on a path and pass through a gap in wall with a footpath sign on it. Bear diagonally left and follow the path past a marker post with a yellow circle painted on it to a step stile over a wall, cross this and go steeply downhill to a gate stile leading on to a lane.
Cross this stile and one directly opposite on the other side of the lane and enter a field then follow the path to reach the ‘Wray Castle/ Ambleside and Colthouse’ signpost (see section 1) then turn left and retrace the route back to Hawkshead.
Compass points
Start and finish: Hawkshead main car park, village centre
Distance: 4 miles/ 6.43 km
Time: 2.5 hours
Terrain: Good footpaths and track, bit of a steep climb near the summit of Latterbarrow, walking shoes fine
Map: OS Explorer OL7 The English Lakes South Eastern Area
Facilities: Public toilets in Hawkshead
