Walking under the trees with a dog

Thirlmere, as with so many areas in the Lake District National Park is a joy to visit. Interestingly enough, the Thirlmere as we know it now is (partially) the end result of Manchester Corporation’s construction of a reservoir in order to route fresh clean water from the Lake District National Park to Manchester City. For more information about its formation, please do read one of my former posts here.

Lake and mountain scene
Thirlmere seen from Wythburn.

Yesterday was one of those days when we couldn’t decide on where to take Horatio for walks. I wanted to go someplace different. I suggested a few places, with Thirlmere being the last on that list. There are various stopping points for Thirlmere along the A591 and we’ve already explored some parts of Thirlmere along this road. Of course, with this area being so large, we couldn’t possibly have done everything even during only one stop. So, here we were happily chugging along when I suggested climbing up a fell signposted from the Swirls Car Park. The next thing I knew, Hubby had pulled into the Wythburn Car Park.

It wasn’t the correct one.

“This isn’t the right one,” I said.

“Yes, but we haven’t explored here before.” he said.

“I wanted to go up that fell.”

“There’s a route over there. Let’s see where it goes.”

“Alright.”

We opened the gate and began walking a stony track. It went up, up, up, with woodland on one side and a Lakeland stone wall on the other. The footpath was steep, but Horatio, our rescue Great Dane, is very adept at finding the best, most accommodating routes, as I soon found out. We decided we would follow his footsteps.

Walking up steps in woodland
Horatio leads the way as we walk up these stone steps at Wythburn.

Finally, we reached the end of that climb. And what a vista we saw! Directly behind and above us were rising peaks in staggered directions. Looking downwards were Thirlmere and its surrounding woodland, and natural channels of rushing water. AND, RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES, WERE THUNDERING WATERFALLS! We had had some rain recently, and these were due more than not to the recent rain. I couldn’t keep myself from videoing and photographing them.

Great Dane Dog at Waterfall
Horatio walks past the first waterfall we saw. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take the full drop of this waterfall. It is VERY high and I only had my phone camera to do this. There is a very steep drop behind the fence.

The Lake District National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a reason.

Waterfall at Wythburn, Thirlmere
Another waterfall. This time I managed to snap a little more of it!

Here were a couple of reasons despite the fact that the Thirlmere as we see it today isn’t the same Thirlmere of yesteryear. It has lost the communities which once lived here. Instead, it now serves as a reservoir to feed water to parts of northern England which do not have the same resources that the Lake District has. Thirlmere is thus as much an integral part of the Lake District in its physical nature as it is for the residents of Greater Manchester for its life-giving water. (https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/learning/forteachers/ks2water)

Wythburn Church, Thirlmere
Wythburn Church, Thirlmere. Built in 1640, it was restored in 1872.

Blenheim Lodge is conveniently located for Thirlmere. One can drive there, take a bus there, or even cycle the 16 miles there. However, please do remember that if you were to take the bus, it may not stop at the exact location you might wish to go.

I hope that you will have enjoyed reading this little post. If you are staying with us at our Bowness B&B, and are interested in visiting Thirlmere or any other places, please do feel free to ask if you have any questions either before you arrive or when you are here. If we don’t know the answers, we will try to get them for you. We ourselves have so much more to explore and discover of the Lakes, so oftentimes it is also our guests who point out new areas for us to check out and enjoy!

Mountains and lake view
The view from Loughrigg Fell over Rydal Water during our fell walk.

Today, we heard from the  UK government that Bed and Breakfasts may re-open from 17th May 2021 at the earliest if all goes well. It’s great news, but we still all need to take care. At Blenheim Lodge, we will continue to do our best to keep both our guests and ourselves as safe as possible during these unprecedented times of the coronavirus. The best and cheapest way to reserve accommodation with us is to BOOK DIRECT. It will save both you and us OTA and Google Ads commissions, and also protect you should you need to change your dates of stay without incurring any extra costs. We look forward to welcoming you!

Man looking out of a window with views
We like to welcome our guests on arrival at Blenheim Lodge with a cuppa and biscuits in our guest lounge.

Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’

Visit our website: http://www.blenheim-lodge.com

Email: enquiries@blenheim-lodge.com

Telephone: 015394 43440