Far From The Maddening Crowds

Make the most of a lovely winter’s day and take a festive stroll in the beautiful and quiet Kentmere Valley

- John Lenehan

The Kentmere Valley is one of the more secluded and quieter places in the Lake District and therefore is less crowded. The village of Kentmere has a lovely church and pretty cottages and Kentmere Hall. The downside is that parking is at a bit of a premium the upside is that it is a lovely place to walk.

In my fell racing days, I used to run the Kentmere Horseshoe which is basically a route from Kentmere and takes in all the mountains that surround the Kentmere Valley. I thought it would be a nice to have an easier day and explore the valley itself. It proved to be a very beautiful and very interesting experience.

1 Leave the Village Institute car park and turn left uphill then follow the road. Ignore the footpath signpost saying ‘Upper Kentmere and Kentmere Reservoir’ on the right and keep on until a track goes right just before a house called Greenhead. There is a sign saying ‘Public Footpath Kentmere Reservoir Only’ pointing up the track. Pass two gates on the right with a sign saying ‘Greenhead Barn No Entry’ and, with a wall on the right, go up to a steel gate. Go through this and then after a short distance bear diagonally right and go downhill to a tarmac road and follow this left uphill.

Note: There used to be a lake south of the village hence the Mere in Kentmere but this was drained in 1840.

A small section still exists; Kentmere Tarn further south down the valley. Kentmere Hall has a Pele Tower built in the 13th century as defence from raiding Scots.