Orrest Head from Windermere station
A short climb straight from Windermere station through woodland to Orrest Head, a 360 degree viewpoint over Windermere and the central fells.
- Distance
- 2.5 km
- 1.6 miles
- Ascent
- 108 m
- High point 237 m
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Walking time, no stops
- Grade
- Easy
- There and back
Take this walk with you
This route is on paths Google Maps knows, so the walking link follows it closely. The GPX is still the exact line. To see the line in Google Maps, open Google My Maps, create a map, choose Import and pick the KML file. It then appears in the Google Maps app under Saved, Maps.
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Orrest Head is where many people's Lake District begins. It is the closest viewpoint to Windermere station, and from the top Windermere stretches out below with the central fells lined up along the skyline.
The walk starts a few minutes from the railway station, climbs a steep lane and then follows the restored Victorian carriageway through woodland to the open summit, with compass benches on top. It is short enough for an hour before a train and good enough to be worth doing on every visit.
The route
- 1
Station to the lane
From Windermere station walk to the main road and find the narrow lane beside the lower entrance of the Windermere Hotel, signed for Orrest Head.
- 2
Up the lane
Climb the lane, which is steep tarmac for the first stretch, then continue on gravel paths into the woods.
- 3
Through the woods
Follow the old carriageway up through the trees, past a walled garden and a junction with a sculpture trail, to a kissing gate.
- 4
The summit
Beyond the gate climb the last open slope to the top, with its compass benches and 360 degree view over Windermere.
- 5
Return
Retrace your route back down to Windermere.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to walk up Orrest Head?
About an hour there and back from Windermere station, including time at the top.
Is Orrest Head accessible?
The Lake District National Park Authority lists it as a Miles without Stiles route, but the opening lane is very steep, with gradients up to 1 in 4.
Where do you park for Orrest Head?
Use the Broad Street car park in Windermere village, or arrive by train; the station is minutes from the start.
More walks nearby
Brant Fell from Bowness
Easy, 5.6 km, 175 m up, about 1 hour 30 minutes
A short loop from Bowness over Post Knott to the rocky top of Brant Fell, with one of the best views over Windermere, returning on the Dales Way.
Wansfell Pike and Troutbeck from Ambleside
Hard, 11.6 km, 602 m up, about 3 hours 30 minutes
Ambleside's own fell: past Stock Ghyll Force to Wansfell Pike, down Nanny Lane to Troutbeck, home through Skelghyll Woods and Jenkin Crag.
The Kentmere Horseshoe
Hard, 21.2 km, 1157 m up, about 6 hours
A long, classic round of nine Wainwrights from Kentmere: up the Garburn Road to Yoke and Ill Bell, over High Street, and home by Harter Fell and Shipman Knotts.
Food, drink and beds near the start
Francines
French Bistro, Penrith, ££
A long-serving, family-run bistro and coffee house on Windermere's Main Road, loved for its seafood, homely cooking and cakes. Evening tables go quickly, so plan ahead.
Homeground
Brunch & Coffee, Windermere, £
Homeground Coffee + Kitchen has been pouring speciality coffee on Windermere's Main Road since 2015, with a daytime brunch and lunch menu and a walk-in only policy that keeps it lively.
Hooked Windermere
Seafood, Windermere, ££
A small, focused fish restaurant bringing sustainably caught seafood to an inland town that thoroughly deserves it.
Cedar Manor Hotel
Boutique Hotel, Windermere, ££
An intimate Victorian hotel where personal touches and seasonal cooking create one of Windermere's most relaxing stays.
The Hole in t' Wall
Traditional Pub, Bowness, ££
The oldest pub in Bowness, right in the heart of the village, pouring Robinsons' cask ales alongside a long list of gins and serving hearty pub food all day. Low beams, a heated beer garden and plenty of old stories keep it busy year round.
Porto
Mediterranean, Bowness, ££
An independent, family-run restaurant on a cobbled Bowness street, cooking modern British food with an AA rosette, plus a Sunday roast and a strong gin and wine list.