Guides & Routes
The Lake District Library
Read our growing collection of Lake District guides and hiking routes, covering the fells, wildlife, history and landscapes of the region, with downloadable GPX files for routes you can walk yourself.
When is a Lake District Lake Not A Lake
Discover the stories behind the names, histories and character of the Lake District’s best-known waters.
Wainwright and the Lake District
The 214 Wainwrights have inspired generations of walkers to explore the Lake District. Discover the fells, Alfred Wainwright’s story and practical guides for working your way through his famous list.
4 guides
Innominate Tarn: Wainwright's Resting Place on Haystacks
Innominate Tarn lies at about 520 metres on Haystacks, Alfred Wainwright's favourite fell and one of the 214 Wainwrights. His wife Betty scattered his ashes by the shore in March 1991, fulfilling a wish he had recorded decades earlier.
The Outlying Wainwrights: The Final Frontier of the Lake District
Once you've finished the main 214 fells, the Outlying Wainwrights are the final chapter—a collection of 116 summits that trade tourist paths for lonely limestone and pathless peat.
Alfred Wainwright
The Man Who Audited the Lake District - A Kendal accountant who turned a mountain obsession into a seven-volume masterpiece.
The 214: A Guide to the Wainwright Classification
A deep dive into the 214 Wainwrights, the unique list of Lake District fells chosen by one man's personal preference rather than strict elevation.
Think the Lakes Are Special? Meet the Tarns
Discover the smaller mountain waters hidden among the Lake District fells.
Featured Hiking Routes
Three handpicked routes from across the region, each with a full hiking guide and downloadable GPX file.
3 guides
Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route from Wasdale
A serious 17.4 km mountain day from Wasdale to Scafell Pike via Sty Head and the spectacular Corridor Route, with 980 m of ascent. Expect rough, exposed terrain, a short rocky downclimb and crucial navigation around Piers Gill.
Helvellyn via Striding Edge and Catstye Cam
A severe 12.7 km circuit from Glenridding over Birkhouse Moor and Striding Edge to Helvellyn, then down Swirral Edge and over Catstye Cam. The GPX packs 932 m of ascent into a classic but exposed Grade 1 scrambling day.
Cumbria Way: Ulverston to Carlisle
A strenuous 118.6 km long-distance route from Ulverston to Carlisle, with 2,307 m of ascent, five GPX-aligned stages and the High Pike option.
Lake District Hiking Route Guides
Our Lake District hiking route guides, with practical route details and a downloadable GPX file for each walk.
More Lake District Guides and Stories
Explore more Lake District history, wildlife and local stories from across the region.
3 guides
Mardale Green: The Hamlet Submerged Beneath Haweswater
Mardale Green was a small Lakeland farming hamlet, not a town of fifty families. Its documented story explains how Manchester Corporation enlarged Haweswater—and what can still be seen when water levels fall.
Corpse Roads and Coffin Paths: History, Folklore and Access
Corpse roads are genuine pieces of landscape history, but the stories attached to them often outrun the evidence. Here is what these routes can tell us—and what their names do not guarantee.
Herdwick Sheep
Herdwicks are ancient Lake District hill sheep whose hefting is learned from ewe to lamb. Norse introduction remains folklore, while genetic evidence points to an older Northern Pin Tail lineage. Beatrix Potter became an influential breeder and land donor.
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