Tarn Hows and Coniston

Tarn Hows is the Lake District's most photographed tarn, a tree-lined water between Coniston and Hawkshead that looks natural but was made in the 1860s, when James Garth Marshall dammed three smaller tarns for a designed landscape never completed. Beatrix Potter bought the estate in 1930 and it passed to the National Trust through her. A level circular path of one and three-quarter miles gives views to the Langdale Pikes and the Old Man of Coniston, with Belted Galloway cattle and Herdwick sheep grazing the shore; three Tramper mobility scooters are free to borrow and dogs are welcome. Below the tarn, Tom Gill drops 30 feet through the wooded Glen Mary ravine. Reviewers say the loop takes under an hour on good paths and praise the coffee and bakes at the cafe. Tips from regulars: the single-track approach road needs care, the car park fills fast in fine weather, and members check in with the JustPark app.