APR 2023 – 6 MILES – WHINLATTER FOREST (KESWICK, LAKE DISTRICT)

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A good friend of mine who I meet up regular for  walks asked if I was ready for a good hike sometime soon as the weather was getting better.  We try to meet up halfway and do a hike together, however I just could not think of anywhere halfway that we had not done before.  I wanted to do one in the Lake District as the weather has been quite wet so wanted to have a guaranteed more rocky and less boggy walk.  So decided to drive to my friend’s and she would drive to Whinlatter Forest in Keswick. My friend was totally up for it too.  

I also have a new gadget to test out, the Insta360 X3 to see what kind of views I would get with it.

Total Distance: 6 Miles
Steps: ~17,000 Steps
Highest Point: 1798 Feet
Total Realistic Time: ~3 Hours

Whinlatter is a small fell in Cumberland, amongst the north-western fells of the Lake District, just north of the Whinlatter Pass. It is easily climbed from the top of the Whinlatter Pass, through the Forestry Commission plantations. The hill is part of a horseshoe around the valley of Aiken Beck.

The Whinlatter Visitor’s Centre on the south side of the fell is a popular tourist attraction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whinlatter

Car parking was £8 for all day parking at the time.  A big car park, toilets and a restaurant in the grounds.  

This is the route I decided on, paths most of the way with lovely views of the hills afar. Headed towards Lord’s Seat for the view, start along the left side working round through the forest back to the car park.

A quick peak at Whinlatter Forest (filmed with Insta360 X3)

Starting point at the Whinlatter Visitor Centre

The path leads you through into the forest of Whinlatter, where we met the Gruffalo on the way towards Lord’s Seat for the view.

Blue sky with clear views afar

View at Lord’s Seat (spot Barney 🙂 )

I miss these views

More sights on the way back to Whinlatter car park, met a couple of curious Alpacas

Now it was time to devour some much deserved tea and cake. The visitor centre and cafe at Whinlatter was closed whilst we were there, so we decided to stop off at Basecamp North Lakes Farm shop and Kitchen on the way back.

Only managed to take a photo of what I was eating as my friend devoured hers so fast I missed it 😉

They do quite a large selection of fresh cakes, also a lovely shop with local delicacies and gifts.

Conclusion:

The weather was glorious, we got clear views all round with the blue sky. It was cooler than it looked whilst walking in the forest, nice and refreshing, it did warm up later on in the day.

The park is quite big so there are many pathed routes you can take, you can do a shorter walk or even a longer walk, beautiful area. Even the drive to Whinlatter was a beauty.

It was an enjoyable fresh walk for our first catch up in 2023. We will be planning another one soon 🙂

Hope you also enjoyed my first video attempt – A quick peak at Whinlatter Forest made possible using the Insta360 X3 camera.

GENERAL EQUIPMENT

  • Apple iPhone 12 Pro (for taking photos/videos and mapping using OS Maps)
  • Insta360 X3 (for taking 360 video of the landscape)
  • Comfy walking shoes (most important)
  • Flask with Hot/Cold drink (a good cuppa is always welcome)
  • ibuprofen (helping hand if you have any aches and pains)
  • Food and snacks (fuel to keep you going)

 

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