Latterbarrow and Tarn Howes

Wednesday 31st December 2025

I have been coming to the Lake District at Christmas and the New Year for several years and I will usually include a walk between Ambleside and Coniston, so I feel like I’ve done all the possible paths between the two hostels which made picking my route last New Year’s Eve difficult to plan. Eventually I came up with two different walks for this day, though both covered familiar ground: a low level option over small hills and a high level option that climbs Swirl How and Great Carrs, but I left the choice to the weather. The day started with overcast skies and a frost, and while it was forecast to clear it would then worsen in the afternoon. Ultimately, I decided to do the low level route because the high level route would cover very familiar, tedious ground in the morning and I just wanted to relax on this holiday, so I didn’t want to do a strenuous walk up high fells. Therefore my first goal was the outlying fell of Latterbarrow, taking the road out of Ambleside, crossing the River Brathay and walking along the cyclepath that runs alongside the road to Hawkshead. This is, of course, also a familiar path for me but it is such a good route I was more than happy to take it again.  It was a very cold morning and soon my hands began to feel it, but, rather than countering this with extra gloves, I knew from experience that the first thing to do was to put extra clothing around my core and soon my hands felt warmer. Another tip for keeping warm in such cold weather is from a flask of hot tea which I often took a sip from on this walk and this kept going as I followed the path into Pull Woods while admiring the views produced by the frosty ground conditions. 

The alternative high level route would have taken me across farmer’s fields whereas this was much more interesting as it took me mostly through woodland, and as the cloud began to clear I had stunning views that included towards Wansfell and Red Screes. The morning frost soon began to burn off in the sunshine and when I came off the cyclepath I began to climb quiet country lanes that brought me into High Wray and soon I was stripping off the extra layers that I had put on earlier. My ascent took me past the National Trust’s High Wray Basecamp and with the views improving with every step I continued to climb, through woodland and out onto the bare top of Latterbarrow where I immediately stopped to take in the view, but I was disappointed to see that clouds had covered the sky again. Eventually I reached the stone column or obelisk that sits proudly at the top of Latterbarrow which I had previously visited ten years ago when the weather was much better, but sadly not on this occasion. Despite the overcast skies, when I turned towards Coniston to begin my descent, I had great views before me with the high fells on the horizon across the valley of Hawkshead.

I came down this way on my first visit to Latterbarrow thirteen years ago, but in twilight, so perhaps I wasn’t able to appreciate it then, but now I loved it and all too soon I reached a road and after a short walk along that I turned right onto a path that would let me bypass Hawkshead. However, when I reached Black Beck I turned left to head into the village and stop there for lunch including buying some extra food. Back out of the village, I returned to Black Beck and followed it to Hawkshead Hall, continuing up Skinner How Lane to Knipe Fold where a rough byway continued my ascent. At the highest point on the lane I turned left onto a footpath that took me to the ever popular lakes at Tarn Hows. As the forecast high winds and deterioration in the weather began to make itself felt I walked around the Tarns, avoiding the crowds as much as possible until I had reached the other side. After crossing the outflow I branched off the encircling path to head into the hills that are west of the lake and is known as Tom Heights, but is little visited and I had certainly never explored this area before. Faint paths took me through the complex terrain that provided me with an interesting walk and good views in all directions including towards Coniston Water.

The path beyond the highest point was difficult for me to follow because the ground was very wet and churned up by cattle, so it took me a while to find the correct route down the steep ground until I eventually managed to return to the byway where I turned left heading to Oxen Fell High Cross. I stayed on the track, crossing the main road and the northern slopes of Holme Fell to take a course that would delay my reaching Coniston for a long as possible. I could have headed straight towards Coniston a long time ago, but then I would have reached the hostel long before it opened and before it got dark. Instead I took an interesting route past old quarry workings, including the enormous Hodge Close Quarry, and through gorgeous woodland. I enjoyed walking along these paths and while it attempted to rain it didn’t last very long and eventually the long walk brought me into Coniston. It is always very enjoyable walking in the Lake District even if I didn’t climb any Wainwrights, and I even got to take some paths and climb a hill that I’d never done before.

Sour Howes and Sallow

Tuesday 30th December 2025

After fulfilling my family obligations over Christmas I was keen to get back to the Lake District so I caught a train and was at Windermere station before noon. If it had been my intention to get away from everyone and unwind from the acquired stresses over Christmas, then climbing Orrest Head was not the way to do it as this small hill is a popular place with families that provides them with a great viewpoint after minimal effort close to a town. So, after initially following the crowds through the woodland below Orrest Head I branched off to cross the western slopes while still enjoying some of the views across the northern part of Windermere as those at the crowded summit. The fells above Langdale were shrouded in mist while clouds covered most of the sky overhead so the views were mixed, but it was still wonderful to be back in the Lake District. Firm paths that were enjoyable to walk upon took me across sheep fields to a road and after passing Near Orrest Farm I turned left onto a path that I remember losing my way on in 2021, so this time I took extra care to follow the correct, though not clear route which brought me to Moorhowe Road and from there onto Dubbs Road. Apart from bypassing the top of Orrest Head I was still following my route of 2021, and, from much further back, in 2006 when I eventually turned right at a stile onto Applethwaite Common, unlike in 2021, and now I did so again.

A clear path weaved a course past a line of rocky outcrops, but I ignored this to walk on top of the rocks which made this an enjoyable route up for me, so I was disappointed that there is not a more prominent ridgeline. I had great views across the Troutbeck Valley, up the valley towards the cloud-covered fells and down the length of Windermere, which was looking particularly good on the rare occasions when the sun came out. When the rocks began to disappear I retreated to the path and continued the ascent all the way up to the summit of Sour Howes which could be in several different places, though none of them are really note-worthy and all are a significant distance beyond the point where the gradient eased. The Ordnance Survey marks a 483 metre point as the highest but a more pronounced top further away is likely to be where Wainwright considered as the summit. Turning north I headed along a broad ridge following a clear path around Moor Head on an enjoyable walk with little wind and gradual descent to the col before a gentle ascent led me to the summit of Sallows. I have climbed these two fells just twice before, firstly from Windermere station in 2006 and then on my way to the station in 2015, but Wainwright also described routes of ascent from the south east, from a bridlepath that crosses the eastern slopes from Ing to Kentmere and perhaps I should explore that in future. 

A steep descent brought me to the Garburn Pass where I turned left to descend the stony track with views up the Troutbeck Valley to my right and ahead of me down the valley towards Windermere. Before reaching the junction with Dubbs Road I turned off the Garburn Road onto a path that dropped steeply down past young trees. I would not have thought of going this way as there is not a right-of-way, but the O.S. Map app suggested this route and who was I to argue with my A.I. lord and master? This brought me into Limefitt Holiday Park and now I followed my route of 2022 across the valley, into the village of Troutbeck and around the western slopes of Wansfell finally reaching the Ambleside Youth Hostel as the light was failing. I had no real plans for my second week in the Lake District, over the New Year, unlike the week before when I had a clear objective to climb fells I had not visited in a long time. That just left me able to have an enjoyable and relaxing holiday in the Lake District with no pressures to achieve anything and if the weather was good enough to allow me to visit the tops of some fells then good. On this walk I visited two fells that I had previously visited just twice before and I had an enjoyable walk. What more do you need?