This is a wonderful and quite easy walk and its one I always share with my foreign friends who have little time and want to get closer to the Lake District than the window of a car. The Tarn is up in the hills just north of Coniston Water, and if you are VERY short of time and go out of season and earlyish in the morning you can get onto the car park at Tarn Hows and just stroll round it – this will take you anything up to an hour if you stop to take in the beauty of the scene – and if you go in autumn you’ll want to take photos and sit awhile. However, take my advice and make sure you have rainwear and some good boots.

Leave Hawkshead car park and walk up past the Grammar School (across the road) into the churchyard, through the gate and follow the path taking right through fields to a road.; go across following the signpost and takingthe path through the field, to a road. Turn left and then right following signpost to Tarn Hows. Look for a stile in the wall on the left, follow path into wood and then join the road to Tarn Hows (below you). Cross the road to the car park and follow the path to the tarn. Walk round the tarn path at your leisure and enjoy the wonderful view. Eat your sandwiches. Walk smartly back down to Hawshead for a cup of tea