Tarn Hows

Tarn Hows is a small lake in the Lake District National Park with clear water and gentle surroundings. The walking path around it is about one and a half miles long and passes through trees with views of five small islands in the water.

The lake was formed during the ice age when glaciers carved out a basin. In Victorian times it was shaped using dams to create the water body that exists today.

The name Tarn Hows comes from Old English meaning hill by a mountain lake. Today you see visitors taking walks at a leisurely pace, stopping to photograph the five small islands and watching reflections of sky and trees on the calm water.

There is a parking area with a visitor center built in 2008 that offers toilet facilities and local information. You can reach it by car from Ambleside or Coniston, by bus from Hawkshead, or by taking the historic steam ferry from Coniston pier.

The water is fed by rain and streams, but the lake appears completely natural even though it was created by Victorian engineers using dams. Most visitors see it as a natural landscape feature without realizing its constructed origins.

Location: Westmorland and Furness

GPS coordinates: 54.39166,-3.03194

Latest update: January 8, 2026 13:39