About
Windermere and Footprint is the National Trust's education base on the St Catherine's parkland above Windermere, a patchwork of woodland and pasture grazed by cows and sheep on the slopes below Orrest Head. The Footprint building, completed in 2006, was the first straw-bale building in Cumbria and the first the Trust built anywhere, designed to leave as small an ecological footprint as possible. It is used for pre-booked courses and workshops: Woodmatters runs green woodworking and bushcraft days here, from spoon and bowl carving to family bushcraft camps, alongside outdoor learning sessions for primary schools. Reviewers praise the knowledgeable, friendly tutors, the cosy wood-burning stove and how peaceful the setting feels so close to the main road, with birdsong the loudest sound. One tip from visitors: the small car park is only for people booked on to an activity, so day walkers should come on foot, about 20 minutes from Windermere station through the woods from the bottom of Orrest Head. The estate's public footpaths are open all year.
Check today’s timesSee all times
- CountrysideDawn to dusk
Opening times may change at short notice.
Access to the Footprint building is for pre-booked events, courses and workshops only; the St Catherine's estate has public footpaths and is open all year, dawn to dusk in the Trust's calendar.
Woodmatters runs green woodworking and bushcraft courses at Footprint through the year (spoon carving, shrink pot carving, family bushcraft camps) and outdoor learning sessions for KS1 and KS2 school groups; book through the Trust's events listing.
Level access and a drop-off point at the Footprint building, with an accessible toilet. Access to St Catherine's wood and the wider grounds is by steep steps or a medium slope.
Contact 01539 446402, footprint@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Photo: Signpost in the woods, a footpath signpost beside a mossy wall in High Hag Wood north of Windermere, on the woodland approach to Footprint. Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signpost_in_the_woods_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5453686.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
Reviews & Tips
No reviews yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience!
Pins
No pin photos yet
Walking routes1 route
Woodland path from Orrest Head to Footprint(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkDog access not confirmed2.4 km
