How To Do Orrest Head Walk from Lake Windermere Easily!

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Doing the Orrest Head Walk from Windermere is one of the best Lake Windermere walks because it doesn’t take too long to walk to and it’s suitable for everyone as it’s not too strenuous. You can walk to Orrest Head from Lake Windermere, Windermere town, or drive and park at the bottom of Orrest head viewpoint and the view from the top is incredible!

A. Wainwright said when he got to the top of Orrest Head in 1930 ‘These few hours on Orrest Head cast a spell that changed my life’ and I can see what he means!

I started this walk from Bowness-on-Windermere which is a popular and busy town on the shore of Lake Windermere. The reason I actually decided to do the Orrest Head walk was because Lake Windermere was so busy, as was Bowness-on-Windermere and I felt like I needed to get up high and escape the crowds!

Many people are looking for walks near Windermere and Windermere walks, probably for the same reason as me. I definitely suggest doing the Orrest Head Walk so here’s how to do one of the best walks in Windermere!

Orrest Head Walk

Lake Windermere to Orrest Head Walk

If you want a really good walk for this Lake Windermere walk and you don’t want to have to worry about Orrest Head parking, as it can be quite hard to find parking (more on that below), I suggest walking from Bowness-on-Windermere town on the edge of Lake Windermere up through Windermere town to the base of Orrest Head.

 This walk from Lake Windermere to Orrest Head base is not too strenuous, it is only slightly uphill alongside the road but it was a lot further than I thought when I first looked at my map and it took me a good 20-30 minutes to do.

After that, I still needed to walk up to Orrest Head which from Windermere town takes about 20 minutes.

If you plan to walk from Bowness-on-Windermere to Orrest Head and back again as I did, you should plan for it to be at least 2 hours and even 3 hours if you walk slower and stop at the top. This makes it perfect to do as part of a Lake District day trip!

Orrest Head Parking

There isn’t an Orrest Head car park which makes parking a bit difficult, especially on hot summers day when the area is very busy.

However, I did read on a local post that for Orrest Head parking you can park in the Windermere Car Park at Booths Windermere Supermarket, next to Windermere train station for 3 hours. 3 hours is plenty of time to do the Orrest Head walk from here.

Orrest Head Walk

The walk up to Orrest Head starts from Church Street. Find Tuchwud Street leading off Church Street and follow it all the way up.

You’ll see a big signpost at the road and from here the footpath is signposted all the way to the top of Orrest Head.

If you’re having difficultly finding the base of the walk, look for The Orrest Head Bar and start from here.

The Orrest Head sign at the bottom states that the walk takes 20 minutes and I agree with that.

The walk is definitely uphill and that’s why the view is so good of course, but it is quite a gradual incline rather than being really steep so it is suitable for all walkers even if you aren’t that fit.

On this note, although the walk is not an intense hike, I was pleased I had my trusty walking shoes on, especially as I saw many other people walking with flip flops and dolly shoes on who were having some difficultly walking along the forest path. I would recommend wearing trainers or walking shoes if you have them to do the Orrest Head walk.

The footpath to Orrest Head is mostly through Elleray Forest crossing a couple of fields too.

The walk is pretty shady which was nice for me as it was a hot day when I went, however, this meant that there weren’t many views along the way so when I got to the top I was pretty shocked and stunned by the 360 views I was greeted with!

Orrest Head Viewpoint

A. Wainwright said when he got to the top of Orrest Head in 1930 ‘These few hours on Orrest Head cast a spell that changed my life’ and I can see what he means!

The Orrest Head viewpoint is seriously incredible! It’s so open with one side looking over Lake Windermere beneath and the other sides looking over the surrounding fields and countryside of the Lake District, no wonder this is one of the best walks near Windermere!

There are quite a few benches at the top of Orrest Head to take in the views from and I definitely suggest planning in some time to sit here and take in the views on your Orrest Head walk. In fact, bring a snack or a small picnic with you to have at the top.

Also be sure to have a look at the Orrest Head sign which shows you exactly what you can see from the viewpoint.

Orrest Head Circular Walk

If you want to do a circular walk instead of walking the same way you walked up, you can walk back to Windermere town through Common Wood.

Leave Orrest Head on the opposite side that you came up and you’ll see a footpath taking you down through Common Wood ending at Orrest Head Cottage and House before the main road in Windermere.

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Overall, walking to Orrest Head is one of the best things to do in Windermere no matter what time of year it is, but especially if it is a busy day like it was when I visited as not everyone will want to do the walk and climb.. even though it’s really not that bad!

It took me about 45 minutes in total each way when walking from Bowness-on-Windermere town, although I do walk quite fast so I’d give yourself a good 2 hours at least!

I hope this helped you know how to do the Orrest Head Walk!

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• For more of my Lake District Posts to plan you trip see:
• How To Do Dale Head Walk from Honister in the Lake District!
• 3 Things to do in Lake Windermere to Avoid the Crowds!
• The Best Lake Windermere Hotels For All Budgets!
• 3 Days in the Lake District!