A lovely walk up through woodland near Coniston gets you to the picturesque Tarn Hows. Allow about 40 mins to enjoy the circular walk around it. The circular walk around it. It's approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Coniston and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Hawkshead.

A beautiful place to walk around, good disabled access around the lake with plenty of seating for when you get tired, very popular with dog walkers but be prepared to carry your doggy waste as the only bins available are at the car park entrance, the Tom Gill falls are accessible but people with mobility issues will not be able to see them. The toilets are in a very clean and pleasant condition and the cafe which is based at the back of the car park is quite reasonable considering this is a tourist attraction, the views are excellent. The road to the car park is a single track road with some passing places, we were unlucky enough to be faced with an articulated lorry and had to reverse a bit of a distance. All in all, a very pleasant and enjoyable day out.

According to the road map the site can be accessed by any number of routes which is a big plus. Research the best one given your location. It’s close to four Lake District towns, Coniston, Hawkshead, Windermere and Ambleside. Downsides. 1. Narrow country roads. The drivers side wing mirror on my dad’s new Kia Sportage was damaged in a hit with a lorry. Be on your guard for anyone approaching the other way. 2. The way in is not easy to spot. See a sign for “Summer Hill Country House” and you are there. 3. You exit the carpark turning left. It’s one way in and one way out. We reached the B5285. A sign for Coniston is right and Tarn Hows/Hawkshead is left nearby is a No Entry sign. That is how I understood it was a one way system. The SatNav told us to turn left. The junction is incredibly steep indeed. So steep one of dad’s wheels was off the ground completely. We had to get help from drivers passing by to hep us out of the situation. We were advised to turn right towards Coniston and get turned around. Upsides. This is why I give it 3 stars. The carpark is a decent size. it’s impossible to develop it so it is what it is. Not many picnic tables. But there’s a cafe. The paths are well maintained, flat, and it affords stunning scenery every few yards. Even the novice walker would find it easy. It doesn’t take long to get around the full course. Beautiful place and is a must for cameras.

Nice easy walk around the lake, puppy loved it. Beautiful views, then 10 minutes down the road is ambleside, beautiful views from the youth hostel and reasonable prices with free parking, or there’s pay parking across the road. 5 minutes away is windermere, all so close together, wonderful day out.

One of thee best NT walking places we have ever visited . It’s totally accessible to all , if you have a powered wheelchair or scooter it. Will do the lakeside route. Good carpark and toilet facilities.