Can you walk all the way around Brotherswater?

Technically yes, but it's not straightforward. The western shore has a good, well-maintained path, but the eastern side doesn't have a formal path and requires scrambling along the shoreline. Most people just stick to the western side and skip the full circuit.

Is Brotherswater safe for wild swimming?

Yes, it's actually not particularly dangerous—it's shallow at the southern end and reaches about 75 feet at the deepest point. The water is cold though, peaking at 16°C in summer and dropping to single digits in winter, so a wetsuit is recommended.

Where do you park for Brotherswater?

There's a small pay-and-display car park at the southern end of the lake with about twenty spaces, which fills up quickly on weekends. The nearest toilets and facilities are about a mile north in Patterdale.

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The Curious Case of Brotherswater's Name Change

For centuries it was Broad Water, which at least made descriptive sense. Then a legend about drowned siblings caught on, the Victorians loved a tragedy, and the OS map was redrawn. Now we're stuck with it.

5 July 20269 min read