Through Furness Woodlands and Foothills Section 5: Bowness to Ulverston

21 miles (34 km) | 980 metres elevation

Recommended time: Up to 3 days

Key points of interest

Wander along the quiet woodland trails of the Furness Fells spotting local birdlife.
Enjoy superb fell views, especially at Claiffe Viewing Platform and on the descent to Coniston Water.
Spend some time in the characterful town of Ulverston with lots to explore .

Section five overview

This section of the route passes through the Furness Fells. They may be smaller than the main peaks in the Lake District, but still offer some fantastic hilly walking and amazing views in a tranquil, rural setting.

Begin your day along the popular lakeshore path to Windermere Ferry at Ferry Nab. There has been a ferry crossing here for over 500 years - at first just a rowing boat with a cable ferry installed in 1870. Leaving every 20 minutes, the crossing takes 10 minutes and costs just over £1 per foot passenger.

On the other side, climb to Claiffe Viewing Platform. Built at the beginning of tourism in the Lake District in the 1790s, the windows were eventually tinted with coloured glass so visitors could see what landscapes could look like in different seasons. Restored by the National Trust in 2015, it offers a great photo opportunity.

Soon arrive at St Peter's Church in Far Sawrey. Built in 1869 in local stone and designed by a London architect, the church is surprisingly large for its location with seating for over 300.

Climb and descend through pastures and woodlands to eventually enter Grizedale Forest, arriving at the pretty little village of Satterthwaite, home to a church and a pub.

At the top of the next climb, walkers are rewarded with stunning views of Coniston Water and the surrounding fells. Around here, keep your eyes peeled for woodland birds such as siskin, crossbill and nuthatch. If you are lucky, you may also see a Red Kite, reintroduced through a programme at Grizedale Forest.

From here descend steadily to the foot of Coniston Water, before crossing the River Crake - the inspiration for the Amazon River in Arthur Ransome’s much-loved Swallows and Amazon’s books.

Top tips

This section is good for woodland walking, views of the fells and cultural side trips.
If the ferry across Lake Windermere is not operating (usually due to maintenance work or bad weather), there are several alternatives: Take the bus to Skelwith Bridge or Coniston to join the Cumbria Way which connects onto the route at a later stage. Take the bus to Hawkshead and walk down the side of Esthwaite Water to rejoin the main route at Bishop Woods. From Bowness Pier, Windermere Lake Cruises run a shuttle to Ash Landing (summer only). Walk north along the lakeshore for around 300m to rejoin the main route.
After crossing Lake Windermere why not enjoy a morning coffee at the cafe just below Claiffe Viewing Platform.
The X12 bus service operated by Blueworks runs between Ulverston and Coniston, stopping at Water Yeats, therefore providing another option to leave the route for alternative accommodation.

Accommodation

Outside the bustling centres of Bowness and Ulverston, find pubs offering food and accommodation in Far Sawrey and Satterthwaite. Water Yeat has a campsite including glamping. There’s also a scattering of other options along the route but mainly self catering. Many parts of this section are very rural so careful planning in advance is required.

Public transport

Bowness is well serviced by several Stagecoach bus routes linking onto Windermere train station and beyond to Kendal and Oxenholme train station. In Ulverston, the X6 Stagecoach bus connects onto Kendal and there are also train links onto Barrow and Lancaster on the West Coast mainline. A local bus service from Water Yeat offers connections three times per day onto Coniston or Ulverston.

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Things to do nearby

Make a short detour from the route at Far Sawrey to visit Hill Top, a 17th-century farmhouse once home to the iconic children’s author Beatrix Potter and now looked after by the National Trust. Filled with original artwork and many of Potter’s personal belongings, immerse yourself in the scenes that inspired many of her classic tales.
In Ulverston visit Swarthmoor Hall where George Fox founded the Quaker movement in the 17th century. The town was also the birthplace of Stan Laurel - visit the museum dedicated to his life and don’t miss the bronze statue of Laurel and Hardy in the town. Catch evening entertainment at The Coro theatre or stop by Shed One distillery for a special afternoon tea.

Route updates

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