Forest bathing at Tarn Hows

Tarn Hows sits in the hills between Coniston and Hawkshead. It looks natural, but it is a designed landscape: James Garth Marshall set out to make one larger tarn from three small ones, and the plan was never finished. Trees line much of the shore, and below the tarn Tom Gill runs down through the wooded ravine of Glen Mary.

The circular path round the tarn is about two miles, level and accessible, and the National Trust lends Tramper mobility scooters. That makes it one of the easiest places in the Lakes for a slow walk among trees with water close by. The car park is small and fills at busy times, so a weekday morning or a winter afternoon is the better choice. If you want more woodland and do not mind a climb, walk up from Glen Mary beside Tom Gill and its waterfalls.