Tarn Hows is one of the most visited spots in the entire Lake District. On a fine summer weekend it is also one of the most congested. Cars queue to enter the National Trust car park. The path around the tarn is busy with walkers. The viewpoint at the western end, where the fells rise behind the water and the reflections are perfect, has a queue of people waiting to photograph it.
And yet it is worth every inconvenience. Tarn Hows is genuinely one of the most beautiful places in England — a small mountain tarn surrounded by mixed woodland and open fell, with views that justify every superlative they have ever received.
This guide tells you everything you need to know to see it properly — the history, the best times to visit, what to look for, and why it looks the way it does.
Tarn Hows is a small tarn — a mountain lake — on the high ground between Coniston and Hawkshead in the southern Lake District. It sits at approximately 200 metres above sea level, surrounded by a mixed plantation of conifers, broadleaved woodland, and open fell.
The view from the path on the western side of the tarn — looking east across the water to the wooded slopes and the fells beyond — is one of the most reproduced views in the Lake District and arguably one of the most photographed in England. The combination of still water, mixed woodland, and the fell skyline above creates a composition that works in every season and in almost every light.
What most visitors do not know is that Tarn Hows is not entirely natural. The tarn was created — or rather enlarged and shaped — in the 19th century by the local landowner, James Garth Marshall, who dammed the outlet of three smaller tarns to create the larger, more picturesque body of water that exists today. The surrounding plantation was also managed and added to over the Victorian era. The "natural" landscape you look at is partly a designed one — a very good example of the Victorian picturesque tradition applied to a genuinely beautiful piece of ground.
Tarn Hows was owned by Beatrix Potter. She bought it — along with the surrounding land — in 1929 and donated it to the National Trust in 1930, one of several significant donations she made in the years before her death.
The donation was made partly to protect the tarn from development and partly as part of her broader project of landscape conservation. She had been buying land around the southern and central Lakes for decades by this point, and Tarn Hows was one of the most prominent and visible pieces of that project.
The National Trust has managed Tarn Hows since 1930 and it is now one of the most visited sites in their entire Lake District portfolio. In a practical sense, the fact that Tarn Hows is accessible to millions of visitors rather than fenced off as private land is directly attributable to Beatrix Potter.
We visit Tarn Hows on our Beatrix Potter Hidden Country Morning Tour. Your expert storyteller will tell this story at the tarn rather than from a guidebook, which makes an enormous difference.
Early morning in summer is the single best time to visit. The car park opens early and the path is quiet before 9am. The light in summer mornings comes from the east, which means the fell slopes behind the tarn are lit and the water is bright. Photographers specifically target summer mornings at Tarn Hows.
October is the most spectacular month for colour. The mixed woodland around the tarn — conifers, birch, oak and rowan — turns in waves through October, and the reflections of the autumn colour in the still water are extraordinary. This is the most visited period for photographers and the car park fills fastest.
Winter — particularly after snowfall — is when Tarn Hows empties of visitors and becomes very beautiful. The fell above is white, the water is dark and still, the bare branches of the deciduous trees create a tracery against the sky. On a clear winter morning it is one of the finest landscapes in the Lakes.
Avoid fine summer weekend afternoons. The car park is full, the path is busy and the experience is significantly reduced. If you are coming in summer, come early or come on a tour.
The main path around Tarn Hows is approximately 1.5 miles and takes 30\u201345 minutes to complete at a comfortable pace. It is largely level with some gentle undulations and is suitable for most visitors including those with pushchairs, though some sections can be muddy after rain.
The National Trust has invested significantly in the path surface over the years and most of it is well-maintained. The western side of the tarn — the classic viewpoint — is accessible from the car park within five minutes.
Key viewpoints on the circuit:
Tarn Hows and its surrounding woodland support a range of wildlife that makes a visit interesting beyond the views.
Red squirrels — Tarn Hows is within the range of the Lake District's native red squirrel population. Sightings are more likely in the mixed woodland to the east of the tarn, particularly in the early morning. Red squirrels are most active in late summer and autumn when they are caching food. They are smaller, faster and more intensely coloured than the grey squirrels most people are familiar with.
Dragonflies and damselflies — in summer, the margins of the tarn are excellent for dragonflies. The common hawker, the golden-ringed dragonfly and several damselfly species are all present. The best time is warm, calm afternoons when they hunt over the water surface.
Birds — the woodland supports treecreepers, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and several warbler species in summer. The tarn itself has mallard, teal in winter and occasional goosander. Listen for the tapping of a woodpecker in the conifer sections on the eastern side.
Deer — roe deer are present in the woodland around Tarn Hows and are occasionally seen at dawn or dusk.
This is where it gets complicated. Tarn Hows has no direct public bus service. It sits on the high ground between Coniston and Hawkshead, accessible only by the narrow road from either direction.
The options without a car are:
The tour option is the most practical — it gets you to Tarn Hows and on to the other Beatrix Potter sites without the walk or the parking problem.
Is Tarn Hows natural?
Partly. The tarn was enlarged in the 19th century by damming the outlet of three smaller tarns. The surrounding woodland was also planted and managed through the Victorian era. T
