A late winter wander around lovely Loweswater

At just a mile long, and half a mile wide, Loweswater is one of Lakeland's smallest lakes. I also happen to think it is one of the loveliest. I well remember the first time I set eyes on it. It was during a family holiday in 1970. It was our first visit, and we were touring the area in the family minibus. Having visited Buttermere and been entranced by it's beauty, we took the road to the coast, where we were staying. Crummock Water passed by the window, resplendent with it's backdrop of mountains, the names of which I had yet to discover, and once the end of the lake was reached I settled back to enjoy the the rest of the journey, thinking that there were no more lakes to see that day.  When Loweswater suddenly appeared to our left, it was a such a delightful surprise that I demanded we stop and have a look around. My plea fell on deaf ears. The rest of the family had decided that we had seen quite enough lakes for one day, so we drove on by, and all I could do was promise myself to return one day to fully investigate it's charms.

It was three years before I was able to fulfil that promise, and I think that my opinion of this lovely little lake was truly formed on that day. The weather was perfect, a deep blue sky, complete with little white cotton wool clouds drifting lazily along on a gentle breeze. I clambered up the lush green pastures of  Darling Fell, to the north of the lake, looked down on it's clear blue waters, and decided that this was probably one of the most perfect places in the world. It was so peaceful, so far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world, that it was imbued with a level of tranquillity that was rare even in the Lake District. Yes, that day I fell in love with Loweswater. I've been besotted with her ever since.

Loweswater is less frequently visited than other lakes, mainly, I think, because it is small and a little off the beaten track. Close by are the ever popular lakes of Buttermere and Crummock Water. They are the City and United of the Lakes, surrounded by impressive mountains, with a huge fanbase, and visitors galore. The village of Buttermere, situated between the two, has more car parking spaces than residents. By comparison Loweswater is very much a local league lake, flanked by fells that even Wainwright could not get enthusiastic about, and apparently not worthy of a pay and display with information board. Yet that is one of it's greatest attractions.  There is a round the lake footpath, which because it features virtually no hilly bits at all, is suitable for the very youngest fell walker. Holme Wood, on the lake's southern shore has both red deer and red squirrels. They can be elusive, but the beautiful Holme Force, a wonderful little waterfall set amongst the trees, is easier to find if you know where to look. There is no need to scramble up the hillside to reach it, a nice wide path leads right to it, but as there is no sign it is easy to miss the turning to it.

On previous visits I have enjoyed the charms of this wonderful lake in many ways, and for my latest visit in mid March, I decided to stay on the south side, walking along the shore through Holme Woods, before heading up the fellside to High Nook Tarn, and then following the footpath along the side of Burnbank Fell to the western end of the Lake. The day was completed by re-tracing my steps a quarter of a mile to enter the woods via a small gate leading to a narrow path that eventually meets a wider forest track. A short distance along this track the delightful Holme Force provides a pleasing end to the walk.

What passes for parking at Loweswater. A large lay-by, one of two beside the minor road, and the small car park at Maggies Bridge, at the Crummock Water end of the Lake, are all there is, and I'm told that there is almost always a space or two available.

This is the only hill on the round lake walk. It leads up to Hudson Place, a small farm. It is not very steep or far, but has this wonderful roadside display of daffodils in mid March.

Beyond Hudson Place the track swings left to drop down towards the Lake Shore, with wonderful views down the lake.

Half way along the Lake Shore and this bothy appears. Owned by the National Trust, it is available for hire.

The small beach outside the bothy has wonderful views across the Lake to Darling Fell and Low Fell. It also has full recreational facilities for those long summer evenings, in the form of a swing.

Looking across Loweswater to the unmistakable profile of Grasmoor, which overlooks Crummock Water.

At the other end of the Lake the track leads to Maggies Bridge, where there is a small car park, a signpost, and a lot of mud!

From Maggies Bridge the farm track leads up to High Nook Farm, and beyond, the open fellside. To the right of the path is High Nook Beck, a lovely little stream running down the fellside towards the Lake. It joins the outflow of the Lake just below Maggies Bridge, and becomes the River Cocker, which eventually joins the River Derwent at Cockermouth.

Looking back across the fellside from the path beside the beck. Grasmoor is prominent, and Crummock Water can also be seen.

High Nook Tarn, a lovely little water which drains into High Nook Beck. My walk does not pass by the tarn, but it is in clear view and a narrow footpath, boggy in winter, leads up to it.

The path swings right, crossing High Nook Beck by a narrow bridge, then climbs the flank of Burnbank Fell.

A little further on and despite gaining height, the trees of Holme Wood start to conceal the view.

The highest portion of this path, and also the highest point of the walk, is also the most disappointing. The view is totally hidden by trees, with the flanks of Burnbank fell blocking the view in the other direction. There is about half a mile of this lack of scenery to endure.

The other end of Holme Wood and the trees are left behind. The view appears, and it is worth waiting for.

The head of the lake. This end is closest to the coast, and conventional thinking dictates that the small stream there will flow away from the lake towards the sea, but it doesn't. Loweswater is unique in that the water from the lake flows towards the centre of the Lake District as opposed to away from it. Crummock Water is lower than Loweswater, and the water from Loweswater flows into Crummock.

Backtracking is something I'm not keen on, but on this walk there is far greater reward in going back for a quarter of a mile rather than carrying on along the path that skirts Burnbank Fell. On the way back Holme Beck is crossed for the second time. This is the view looking downstream as it heads down the slope towards the lake. I shall meet it again shortly.

I've turned left into the woods and followed a narrow track down to a junction with a much wider track, then turned left, to follow the wide track down the slope, athletically hurdling this fallen tree on the way, as you do.

It is not long before this beautiful little waterfall appears on the left. Before getting to it there is little indication of it's existence. It is the aforementioned Holme Beck, cascading down through the woodland. The falls are called Holme Force.

The lower pool of Holme Force. It is not big, but it is beautiful, and a real treat to enjoy towards the end of the walk.

Getting to Holme Force from the main track through the woods is not easy. The track it is on, although wide, runs higher up in the woodland, and not used regularly. To add to the navigation problems, there is no sign to the falls. These two trees are all that mark the start of the path from the main track through the forest.

A fine view to end the day. The car is about 250 yards away, and the sun has come out. It is been a super walk, in weather that was better than forecast.

Things to do in the Lake District when you are bored and 14

"Now pay attention, class. It's been a long journey and we only have three days, so we have to get a move on."
It's the back end of the 1960's. A time of free love and dropping out, only at the tender age of 14 we were all a bit too young for either, so while the rest of the world moved and grooved, we went on a three day long geography field trip to the Lake District.  And we are in a field, which is fitting. Oh, and did I mention the rain? No. Well, just for good measure, it's raining.

So just to paint the picture, that's 32 bored 14 year olds, in a field, in the rain. We wouldn't have minded if it had been in school time, but this was the back end of the Easter holidays. For dear Miss Robinson, the task of keeping us in order was like herding cats. But she was a determined soul and no doubt her 30 years of teaching experience were what eventually won her the day.

She was not helped by three days of Lakeland sunshine (aka drizzle) and hostel accommodation that was basic with a capital base. However, with a huge helping of Joyce Grenfell style enthusiasm and the promise of the last afternoon off, she managed to persuade us that carrying out a range of tasks such as measuring the pebbles in a stream and counting the number of species of plant in a square yard of sheep field, were not only worthwhile, but also fun.

And so we came to that last afternoon, our well earned afternoon off, and we ended up on a boat, cruising sedately up Windermere, unable to see out of the windows because they had steamed up. Had we been able to look out we would not have seen the shore. The mist was too thick. Little wonder that when we finally returned home we vowed collectively to never return. We'd been sold a dream that had turned into a nightmare. We were told our Lake District field trip would be an adventure we would remember with affection for ever. That it would inspire us to have respect for the natural world and all it's wonders. And yes, it would be the most fun we'd ever had in our lives. When we arrived we were excited. Looking forward to enjoying the freedom of this vast adventure playground. And then all we did was count pebbles in a stream, and have a ride on a boat in the rain.

The thing is that sometime between 1960 something and now, someone invented organised adventure. I'm sure it must have existed before the 1960's. I seem to remember Enid Blyton sending her famous five on one. But other than in story books we were not really told of it's existence. We were meant to discover it for ourselves. So as a child we swung over streams on ropes slung over the branches of a tree, or skidded downhill on a home made buggy, or raced our bikes up a home made ramp to see who could jump the furthest, and land without falling off. All great fun, all totally unsupervised, and it never cost us a penny. So if we had been given the opportunity to swing through the trees in the rain on that last afternoon, or to scale a massive polystyrene wall with steps in, or enjoy the thrill of a zip wire, then we'd have jumped at the chance. But we weren't able to do any of those things because, to the best of our knowledge, nowhere existed where we could. Unlike today.

In my travels around the Lake District, I am impressed by the amount of organised outdoor adventure opportunities available. From tree top adventures, to climbing walls, kayaking to mountain biking, today's 14 year olds have so much to keep them from being bored. And judging by a visit to Grizedale Forest last year, it seems that there is no shortage of teenagers taking full advantage. All of which kind of makes me wish I was 14 again. Actually, there are lots of reasons why being 14 again would be good, but the outdoor adventure opportunities is really high on the list, so we'll leave it at that.

Photo courtesy of GoApe

So with half term upon us, and the Easter Holidays just around the corner, here is a list of some of the adventure possibilities for today's youngsters. (actually, they are not confined to the young, one other change from life in the 1960s is that parents and grandparents can join in!)

Go Ape, swing through the trees, or race through the forest on a segway. There are Go Ape courses at Grizedale and Whinlatter Both have mountain biking opportunities as well. 

If you fancy a spot of indoor climbing, Keswick Climbing Wall is just the spot. A big indoor climbing wall, complete with a cafe for a snack afterwards. Click the same link and you'll find that the there is more than just a climbing wall available. They also do outdoor adventure. You have to book in advance, so check it out.

If you taking to the water is your thing, then check out Platty + , who have water sports on Derwentwater pretty much covered. Or if you are in the South Lakes area, try Windermere Canoe Kayak for your watery adventure.

On the do it yourself trail of Arthur Ransome

Literary heroes; the Lake District has plenty of them. But some fare better than others when it comes to following in their footsteps. Take William Wordsworth for example. You can visit his birthplace, his old school, two of his homes in Grasmere, and his final home in Rydal. You can even eat at a restaurant where he used to have an office. In fact, you could probably spend the best part of a 5 day break just following the Wordsworth Trail.

The same is true of Beatrix Potter. Her home, her husband's workplace, even a couple of her holiday homes, are all available for modern day visitors to wander around and get an insight into the life and times of this remarkable lady.

But when it comes to the writer of one of Lakeland's best loved fictional works it is a very different matter. "Swallows and Amazons" is one of the most popular childrens' books of all time, thrilling readers young and old since 1930, as well as entertaining television viewers and cinema goers since the 1960's. But look for an Arthur Ransome trail and you'll be sorely disappointed. There is no museum dedicated to the author. No house visits are available. With the exception of the efforts of the Coniston Launch company, whose 'Swallows and Amazons cruises' explore the areas on Coniston Water thought to have inspired the locations in the book, and a relatively small number of exhibits in the region's museums, there is very little trace of Ransome, or his association with the Lake District.

Arthur Ransomes desk, which is on display at the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, Kendal

 So why is this? The simple answer is that whilst Arthur Ransome lived in the Lake District for a while, and set some of his books in the area, his tenure in the region was quite limited. Unlike both Wordsworth and Potter, who lived in the  area for a good part of their lives, and contributed to local society in many different ways, Ransome's influence was spasmodic at best. He was not a permanent resident in the Lake District. He spent holidays there as a child, went to school in Windermere, and returned occasionally in his early adult life, but the focus of his attention tended to be elsewhere. For, rather like the characters in his books, Arthur Ransome was something of an adventurer, seeking out and enjoying a life of danger and excitement.

In his late teens, Ransome attended Yorkshire College, training to become a chemist. But a year into the course he got bored and packed it in, moving to London to take up a career as a writer. Having lived in poor conditions, struggling to make ends meet with a number of low paid jobs in the publishing industry; getting married, and eventually publishing critical biographies on Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde; he ended up in court on a libel charge.

In 1913 he left his wife and young child and went to Russia, originally to learn the language and study Russian folk tales. But in 1915 he become, almost by accident, a war correspondent, covering the conflict on the Eastern Front for the Daily News. He also covered the Russian Revolution in 1917, and became friends with both Lenin and Trotsky. He passed a limited amount of information to MI5, who in turn paid him and gave him the code name S76. However, MI5 didn't fully trust him, believing him to be a double agent. This may have had something to do with the fact that he had an affair with Leon Trotsky's personal secretary, Evgenia Petrovna, however, this was to be no brief clandestine liaison in the name of national security. Love was in the air, and an acrimonious divorce from his first wife, and marriage to Evgenia, followed.

Ransome's career as a foreign correspondent was spiced with moments of high excitement and adventure which would not be out of place in one of Ian Flemings 'James Bond' novels.  In 1919, he was asked by the Estonian foreign minister to deliver a secret armistice proposal to the Bolsheviks. He had to cross the battle lines on foot and under cover, at great risk to himself, and then return via the same risky route with the reply.

After the hostilities ended,  Ransome set up home in Estonia with Evgenia, and built a cruising yacht, in which he sailed around the Baltic. Upon his return, he published a successful book about his experiences.

By the time he returned to the Lake District in 1925, he was a seasoned adventurer. He and Evgenia bought a property at Low Ludderburn, near Windermere, and soon after he became re-acquainted with the renowned Lake District artist WG Collingwood, who he'd first met in 1896. After a summer of teaching Collingwood's grandchildren to sail, Ransome wrote the first book in his Swallows and Amazons series, allegedly using the names of some of Collingwood's grandchildren for his characters, the Swallows.

Although the lake and islands in the book have fictitious names, the settings are unmistakeably the Lake District, and range from areas of Windermere and Coniston. But exactly where in the Lake District Ransome would not say, preferring to let his followers do the detective work for themselves.

The Ransomes stayed in the Lake District for just 10 years. In 1935 they moved to Suffolk, and may well have remained there had it not been for the outbreak of war. The Lake District was a far safer place than the Suffolk coast in 1940, and they returned to Coniston, to a property called The Heald, close to the Lake Shore. Whilst there, Arthur continued writing, producing 'The Picts and the Martyrs', the eleventh book in the Swallows and Amazons series, and the last to be set in the Lake District.

In 1944 the couple moved South again, this time to London. He returned to the Lake District in 1960, having bought a derelict farmhouse, Hill Top,  at Haverthwaite, although he was not able to move in properly until it was fully renovated in 1963. By then the adventurer was a frail elderly man who was confined to a wheelchair and who lived out his days overlooking the peaceful fields of the Cartmel peninsula.  He died in 1967, and is buried in the churchyard at Rusland, a short distance from Haverthwaite.

So what of the properties and locations with which he is associated? Well, there are many, but for fans of Ransome the sad reality is that they are either privately owned, or have been converted to a state where they are significantly different to how he knew them. To add confusion to the Ransome trail, there are also many locations used by film makers that may, or may not, be the same as the inspirations for his books. Take the fictional town of Rio. It is generally accepted that this is based upon Bowness on Windermere, and the makers of the 1974 film certainly thought the same as they used Bowness as their filming location. But no one actually knows for certain.

The following is a short list of the properties with which he is known to have a direct association.

The Old College, Windermere. Ransome went to school here before moving on to Rugby. The building ceased to be a school in the 1960's, and has now been converted into flats.

Low Ludderburn, where Ransome had a study and wrote Swallows and Amazons, making it the holy grail for all devotees, is privately owned. Items from his study at Low Ludderburn are on show at The Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, in Kendal.

The Heald, on the shores of Coniston Water is also privately owned.

Hill Top, Haverthwaite, his final home, is perhaps the most accessible of all the properties associated with him. It is now a self catering property, and available to let. So followers of Arthur Ransome may not have an official trail to follow, but they can spend a week living in his last dwelling.

As for film locations associated with Swallows and Amazons, well I am not an expert on those. But I know someone who is. Sophie Neville, who played Titty in the 1974 film production, has written a fascinating blog about the locations used. You can find it here.