Walkers on the path to Orrest Head above Windermere, Lake District
Southern Lakes · 5 hand-picked walks

Windermere Walks

The five best walks around Windermere — from Wainwright's first fell at Orrest Head to the big lake view from Gummers How. Distances, parking, start points and dog info for every route.

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A hand-picked guide

The best walks near Windermere

Windermere is a family and station day-tripper base, so the walks here lean easy — short lakeshore strolls and low fells with big views, rather than the high mountain days. This is a hand-picked guide to the five best walks around Windermere, with distance, time, ascent, parking, start points, public transport and dog-friendly info for each. Orrest Head and the lakeshore walks suit families and anyone arriving by train; Gummers How and School Knott add a short climb for a bigger view. For the serious fells, head to Ambleside — its walks guide is coming soon.

Showing all 5 walks.

Easy

Easy walks near Windermere

View over Windermere and the Langdale Pikes from the summit of Orrest Head

Orrest Head Walk

Wainwright's first fell · start here

Easy

Distance

1.5 mi · 2.4 km

Time

45 min – 1 hr

Height

238 m summit

Terrain

Clear path, some steps

Orrest Head is the walk that started it all — the viewpoint where Alfred Wainwright first fell for the Lakes in 1930. From directly opposite Windermere railway station, a clear path climbs gently through woodland, with a few steps, to a rocky little top at 238 metres. The reward is a genuinely panoramic view: the full sweep of Windermere below, the Coniston fells and the Langdale Pikes ranged across the skyline. It is short enough for families and reachable without a car, yet feels like a proper fell. Best at sunrise, but stunning at any time of day.

Start: A591 opposite Windermere railway station, by the Windermere Hotel — behind the pedestrian crossing, at the large white "Orrest Head" sign (near LA23 1AQ)

Parking: No official car park. Broad Street (~10 min walk; £1.20 all day in the early-bird section if you arrive before 9am, Oct 2025), Booths supermarket by the station (free for 3 hours), or the small A591 lay-by by the start (usually full)

Public transport: Directly walkable from Windermere railway station — no car needed

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: to confirm — being added in the pub-research pass.

Dog-friendly Lake views Short loop possible Featured by Wainwright (his first viewpoint)
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The lakeshore lawns at Fell Foot Park, south end of Windermere

Fell Foot Park

Flat lakeshore · a destination day out

Easy

Distance

Flexible · lakeshore

Time

1–2 hrs

Ascent

Flat

Terrain

Flat, pram-friendly

Fell Foot is a National Trust lakeside park at the southern end of Windermere, near Newby Bridge — less a single walk than a whole easy day out by the water. Gentle, pram-friendly paths run along the lakeshore and through the grounds, with grassy lawns dropping straight to the water. It is one of the best places on the lake for a swim or a paddleboard, with watersports hire, the Boathouse Café, toilets, a playground and a Saturday parkrun. Flat, family-friendly and dog-friendly throughout, it suits anyone who wants lake views and a picnic rather than a climb.

Facilities

Boathouse Café Toilets Swimming / watersports hire Saturday parkrun Playground

Start: Fell Foot, near Newby Bridge · LA12 8NN

Parking: National Trust car park — free for NT members; non-members pay and display, around £6 for 2 hours (check the National Trust site for current pricing)

Public transport: Limited — easiest by car, or by Windermere Lake Cruise to the south of the lake

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: to confirm — being added in the pub-research pass.

Dog-friendly Lakeshore views Lakeshore loops Not a Wainwright
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The view over Windermere from Queen Adelaide's Hill at Millerground

Millerground & Queen Adelaide's Hill

Short walk · best easy viewpoint

Easy

Distance

~1 mi · 1.6 km

Time

~45 min

Ascent

Low (grassy hill)

Terrain

Gentle, grassy

A short, gentle walk that combines a quiet lakeshore access point at Millerground with the low grassy rise of Queen Adelaide's Hill just above it. The climb is tiny but the payoff is one of the best easy viewpoints on this side of Windermere, looking straight down the lake to the fells. It is close to the town, woodland-fringed and perfect when you want a proper view without much effort — an ideal short walk near Windermere for families, early mornings or an hour between trains. Dog-friendly throughout.

Start: Millerground lakeshore access, off Rayrigg Road

Parking: Rayrigg Meadow / Millerground pay & display lakeshore car park

Find it: Search "Millerground, Windermere" in Google Maps · walkable from town, 599 bus stops nearby

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: to confirm — being added in the pub-research pass.

Dog-friendly Lake views Short loop Not a Wainwright
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Moderate

Moderate walks near Windermere

The panoramic view down the length of Windermere from the summit of Gummers How

Gummers How

The easiest big view in the south Lakes

Moderate

Distance

~1 mi return · 1.6 km

Time

45 min – 1 hr

Height

321 m summit

Terrain

Short, steep, rocky

Gummers How is the best-value view in the southern Lakes — a short walk that delivers a mountain-top panorama for surprisingly little effort. The Astley's Plantation car park already sits at around 200 metres, so it is only about 700 metres to the 321-metre summit. It is steep and rocky in places, but quick, and hugely popular with families. The top looks straight down the full 10.5-mile length of Windermere, with the high central fells beyond. To answer the question everyone asks: no, Gummers How is not one of the Wainwrights. It does not need to be — for a first proper hill or a clear-day viewpoint, it is hard to beat.

Start: Astley's Plantation ("Gummers How") car park — up the steep road signed Fell Foot Park off the A592 from Newby Bridge

Parking: Astley's Plantation car park — free · grid ref SD 389 876 · approx LA23 3LR (rural postcode, approximate)

Find it: Search "Gummers How car park" in Google Maps · easiest reached by car from Newby Bridge

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: to confirm — being added in the pub-research pass.

Dog-friendly Panoramic lake views Short loop Not a Wainwright
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The quiet summit of School Knott east of Windermere town

School Knott

Quiet low fell · escape the crowds

Moderate

Distance

~3 mi · 4.8 km

Time

1.5–2 hrs

Height

232 m summit

Terrain

Field & woodland paths

School Knott is the quiet alternative to Orrest Head — a low fell just east of Windermere town that sees a fraction of the crowds for an almost-as-good panorama. At 232 metres it gives a fine view back over the lake and across to the Coniston and Langdale fells. The natural way round is a circular via Common Wood, mixing field paths, open fell and woodland, which makes it feel more like a proper walk than a quick viewpoint. If Orrest Head is busy, this is the genuine escape-the-crowds option within easy reach of the town. Dog-friendly throughout.

Start: East edge of Windermere town, heading towards Common Wood

Parking: Windermere town car parks (e.g. Broad Street), then walk in from town

Find it: Search "School Knott, Windermere" in Google Maps · walkable from the railway station

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: to confirm — being added in the pub-research pass.

Dog-friendly Lake views Circular (via Common Wood) Not a Wainwright
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Difficult

Harder fells near Windermere

No genuine high fells start from Windermere itself — the town is a family and lakeside base, and we won't pad this page with weak routes. For a proper mountain day, the big fells belong to Ambleside, four miles north: Wansfell Pike, Loughrigg Fell, Wray Castle on the west shore and the classic Fairfield Horseshoe are all best started from there.

Explore Ambleside — walks guide coming soon

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More Lake District walks

Windermere leans easy. Browse the full regional guide, or head back to the town hub for the whole day out.

The full guide

All Lake District walks

Browse the best walks across the region by difficulty, type and area — including the bigger fells.

Lake District walks hub
The town

Things to do in Windermere

Boat hire, Brockhole, the Jetty Museum, parking and the full Windermere day-out guide.

Windermere hub

Plan your whole Windermere day around a walk

Free, no sign-up. Tell the planner which walk you fancy, your transport and the weather — it builds a timed day around it, with parking, lunch and the bus times sorted.

Open the free Lakes Planner

Common questions

Windermere walks, answered

What are the best easy walks in Windermere?
The three easiest walks near Windermere are Orrest Head (1.5 miles, 45 minutes, the classic panoramic viewpoint directly opposite the train station), Fell Foot Park (flat, pram-friendly lakeshore walking at the south end of the lake) and Millerground with Queen Adelaide's Hill (a short, gentle hill with one of the best easy lake views, minutes from the town). All are dog-friendly and have lake views.
Are there dog-friendly walks near Windermere?
Yes — all five walks on this page are dog-friendly. Orrest Head, Fell Foot, Millerground, Gummers How and School Knott all welcome dogs, though some cross open fell or farmland where dogs should be kept on a lead near livestock.
Can you walk from Windermere station?
Yes. Orrest Head starts directly opposite Windermere railway station on the A591, by the Windermere Hotel — you can be on the path within a minute of stepping off the train, with no car needed. It is one of the few genuinely good Lake District fell views reachable straight from a station. School Knott is also walkable from the station.
How long is Gummers How to walk?
Gummers How is a short, steep walk of roughly a mile there and back, taking about 45 minutes to an hour. The Astley's Plantation car park already sits at around 200 metres, so it is only about 700 metres to the 321-metre summit — which gives a panoramic view down the full length of Windermere. Short and family-popular, but with some steep, rocky sections.
Is Gummers How a Wainwright?
No. Gummers How is not one of Alfred Wainwright's 214 fells, despite being a popular and rewarding short climb with one of the best views over Windermere. It sits outside the area covered by Wainwright's Pictorial Guides.
How much is parking at Fell Foot?
Fell Foot is a National Trust park. Parking is free for National Trust members; non-members pay and display, around £6 for two hours at the time of writing — check the National Trust website for current pricing, as it changes seasonally.
Which Windermere walk has the best lake views?
For the best lake views, Gummers How gives a panorama down the entire length of Windermere from its 321-metre summit, while Orrest Head offers the classic view across the lake to the Langdale Pikes for far less effort. Both are among the finest viewpoints in the southern Lake District.