Orrest Head is one of my favourite walks in Windermere. It can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. You can follow the main trail and be on the summit in about 30 minutes, or you can follow the myriad of other trails and spend several hours exploring this fell. The views from the top are second to none. There are woods, streams and even a sculpture trail.
Orrest Head was the first fell Alfred Wainwright climbed and it is easy to understand how this inspired him to climb other fells in the Lake District and write his iconic guide books. It truly is one of the best walks from Windermere.
How to get to Orrest Head
Orrest Head is very easy to find. Head for the railway station, cross the road towards the Windermere Hotel (currently under renovation) and to its left you will see the signpost directing walkers up the hill.
The Trails on Orrest Head
Orrest Head has an abundance of trails, some more challenging than others, but on the whole, Orrest Head is an easy walk. It would be difficult to get truly lost. There is a main trail which is very clear, but there are lots of smaller trails too.
We often do the loop described below, but if it is busy, we will sometimes go up the hill a competely different way ( – turn right having crossed the road from the railway station instead of left, through the gate and up. It takes you round the back of the hill.) This route misses out the views from the top, but is still a lovely walk.
The Main Trail on Orrest Head
The main trail up the hill is quite accessible and I have seen people in motorised wheelchairs go right to the top. The first part is tarmac and then it is mainly a gravel path. It is a little steeper in some places, but nothing outrageous. Trainers are usually sufficient for this trail unless the weather is really bad.
This main trail takes you past the Gruffalo and his pals, along with a couple of other sculptures. Sometimes, the coffee van is open near the Gruffalo, but I think it is weather dependent or when it is likely to get custom rather than having regular hours. The coffee does smell good when you go by though!
This is the latest sculpture just above the Gruffalo. Beautiful!
Follow this winding trail and eventually you reach the summit. The views are magnificent. There is some seating at the top and a couple of trig points for you to get your bearings and observe other fells. When the weather is clear, the views over the Langdales are wonderful.
It is possible to deviate from the main trail and take one of the more rugged off paths. Understandably, these are quieter at busy times. Near the top, you can go through the gate to the left and climb up the rough-hewn steps rather than follow the accessible path to the top, if you prefer.
Walking a loop on Orrest Head
We often walk a loop with the dog on Orrest Head and rarely simply go to the top and then straight back down. If you want to do this, from the summit head down in the opposite direction to the main trail. This is to the right of the trig points. The terrain gets rather more rugged down the back of the fell, so I would recommend boots rather than trainers. In wet weather, we are in wellies!
Follow the trail down and eventually you arrive at a gate and a stile. Go through the gate. (The stile path takes you away from Orrest Head and towards Ings.)
Once over the stile, head up hill. There are often sheep around this area, so please be careful if you have a dog. Fairly quickly you will see a way marker (which, infuriatingly, spoils the photo shots!).
Then head down towards another kissing gate. Go through this gate.
Sometimes, there are cows in this field, so exercise the usual caution around livestock.
Choices!
Now there are choices! You can either veer off to the left towards a wall a couple of hundred meters away and climb the stile over the wall into the woods. This is a slightly shorter route. Follow the path through the wood until you join the main, gravel path. Follow this back to where you started the walk at the bottom of Orrest Head!
Or, walk down the hill to the bottom right hand corner and through the gate there.
Immediately through the gate, turn left and follow the rugged trail until you cross a bridge over the stream. Soon after this, take the path to the left and through the wood. The stream will be in your left.
There is one deep bit in the stream towards the bottom of this trail. This is Jasper’s bath!
At the very bottom, cross the stream and climb the stile over the wall.
Now follow the path all the way to the main path where you started up the hill! The latter part is a fairly narrow trail which goes past Windermere School and a few houses.
This whole loop takes approximately one hour – but again, it is possible to extend it in various ways.
The Sculpture Trail on Orrest Head
The Sculpture Trail is a fairly recent addition on Orrest Head, but it is fun! The Gruffalo has been there for a long time and you will see him as you go up the main trail. He was joined by a few friends a while ago and then the Sculpture Trail of woodland animals was developed quite recently.
There are various ways to get the the sculpture trail on Orrest Head, but perhaps the easiest is the head to the Gruffalo and then take the path to his left, rather than going up to the summit. This will take you directly to the sculpture trail.
The path can be a little muddy and slippy here so care is needed. It is worth it, however, and children will love trying to spot the woodland carvings. These are a few of my favourites!
Orrest Head Walk – final thoughts
This really is one of the best walks from Windermere and I would always recommend it to visitors. As locals, it is one of our regular dog walks and it never grows old. No matter what the weather, it is always a walk to enjoy.
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I have always made a point of never accepting guest posts on AbFabTravels, but I have just made an exception! My daughter Beth is currently on a sabbatical and travelling the world. She has agreed to contribute a few articles, giving a young person’s perspective and insights into a different way of travelling. She is a fantastic writer so please check out her posts.
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