A walk without stiles
A level, surfaced loop round the water with no steps, ideal for pushchairs, wheelchairs and grandparents.
The most painterly 'natural' view in the Lake District is not natural at all. In the 1860s the landowner James Garth Marshall decided three small tarns were two too many, dammed the outflow to merge them into one sheet of water, and planted a frame of spruce, pine and larch so the whole thing would compose like a picture from every angle. It worked so well that Tarn Hows became one of the busiest beauty spots in the national park, and Beatrix Potter bought the Monk Coniston estate in 1930 to keep builders off it, selling half to the National Trust at the time and giving it the rest, which is why the Trust looks after it today. What you do here is simple: walk round the water. The circular path is about 2.8 km, level and surfaced with no steps or stiles, one of the park's 'Miles Without Stiles' routes designed for pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, which makes it a better bet for families with toddlers or grandparents than almost any other walk in the Lakes. Allow an unhurried hour; the Langdale Pikes, Wetherlam and the Coniston fells appear above the treeline as you go. Minimal effort for a big reward is rare in a region where most views are earned in sweat. Three all-terrain 'Tramper' scooters are free to borrow for anyone who struggles to walk, donations welcome, and it is worth checking availability before you travel. Entry is free but the car park is not: roughly £7 for two hours, £8.50 for four and £10 all day (free for National Trust members), and payment is through the JustPark app only, with no coin machine on site, so download it and set up an account before you drive up because the signal at the tarn is poor. There are toilets and a coffee cabin called Joey's beside the car park, open roughly 09:30 to 16:30 with shorter hours in winter and closed through January, but nothing more substantial, so bring water and food if you plan to stay a while. The car park is full by late morning in July and August and at weekends; arriving before 10:00 or after 16:00 spares you circling narrow lanes with no room to pass. Tarn Hows is a short trip out of the towns: about 3 km north-east of Coniston and the same again north-west of Hawkshead along single-track lanes, roughly half an hour's drive from Ambleside and a little longer from Bowness. Without a car, take the 505 bus, get off at Hawkshead Hill and walk about 1.5 km uphill. The only condition is weather: on a clear day this is among the loveliest spots in northern England; under low cloud it is a pond among trees. Save it for the bright day.
A level, surfaced loop round the water with no steps, ideal for pushchairs, wheelchairs and grandparents.
Three tarns merged and a forest planted in the 1860s to look like a painting, and the trick still works.
On a clear day the Langdale Pikes, Wetherlam and the Coniston fells appear from the shore with no climbing at all.
Tarn Hows, near Coniston, LA21 8DP
Yes, if the sky is clear and you have small children or someone who finds walking hard: it is the easiest mountain-view walk in the whole area. If the day is overcast, or you want a big lake with boats and restaurants, stay at Windermere or go to Coniston instead; Tarn Hows is small and offers nothing but the walk, the view and a coffee cabin.
Possible but awkward: the 505 bus between Hawkshead and Coniston drops you at Hawkshead Hill, then it is about 1.5 km uphill on a narrow lane. With children and a pushchair a car is far easier, provided you arrive before 10:00 in summer.