A circuit of Latrigg

This is one for the kids, one for the elderly, even one for the wheelchair, because to their credit the National Park Authority have laid out a low-mobility path to the summit point of Latrigg which allows all to access the lovely viewpoint looking right over Keswick and Derwent Water. OK, low-mobility visitors will have to return by the same path, but I still recommend they all do it. The view is worth it!

I did the walk on my last morning in the Lake District before returning to North Yorkshire. It was very short, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The walk starts at the parking area on the Skiddaw access road above Applethwaite. Get here early if you want to be sure of a space—it gets busy, especially on a fine day. Passing through a couple of stile gates from the car park, the path is laid out clearly in front of you. Simply follow it round the high curve of west-facing Latrigg to reach the south-facing viewpoint.

From there, you can either return the way you came or, as I did, follow the track north-east into a wood and loop north-west back to the car park.

Throughout the walk, views of the surrounding fells are fantastic—particularly of the Skiddaw range, with the broad path leading up Skiddaw mountain clearly visible. It made me feel like climbing it right then and there, though time didn't permit.

Of course, it's the view toward Keswick and Derwent Water that draws most eyes: a superb prospect. I also enjoyed looking beyond Derwent Water to Binsey, one of the smaller Wainwrights but a grand hill in its own right. Today, however, I simply relished this very short, very easy walk to the summit of Latrigg.