Walk · Cumbria

Whinlatter Forest from the visitor centre

Braithwaite · CA12 5TW

3MILES

1h 40mON FOOT

200mCLIMB

CircularSHAPE

The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland

Off-road 98% 2% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 20%Lane & track 78%Road with traffic 2%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

Whinlatter Forest visitor centre car park, on the B5292 above Braithwaite CA12 5TW

Parking

Pay-on-exit, free for the first 20 minutes, £2.90 the first hour and £14 the daily maximum; open 8.30am to 8.30pm, four accessible bays, free to members

Directions to the start →

Three miles and about an hour and three quarters of forest walking on gravel roads and surfaced tracks, climbing steadily above the visitor centre for the view across Bassenthwaite to Skiddaw. Start at the main Whinlatter car park, which is pay-on-exit - twenty minutes free, then two pounds ninety for the first hour and fourteen pounds for a full day, with free parking for Forestry England members and anyone arriving by bus or bike. Dogs are welcome throughout the forest and the tracks are traffic-free, well drained and usable in any weather, which makes this the reliable wet-day option in the northern Lakes; the ospreys nest in the valley below, so keep out of the fenced-off areas, and the mountain bike trails cross the walking routes at several points - a lead at those junctions.

THE SMALL PRINTLeads where the walking trails cross the mountain bike descents, which are fast and blind, and around the visitor centre and play areas. Forest operations close individual tracks at short notice.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed

Water bowls

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.6042, -3.2178

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.FORESTRYENGLAND.UK/WHINLATTER

Whinlatter Forest from the visitor centre

House rules, decoded

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