Bev Peacock – Lowther Castle, 24th of May 2025

My OS is telling me that the walk is about 7miles and should take about 3 hours. It is the Lowther Castle Loop – the latest addition to the Ullswater Way. The walk begins by following the castle walls before entering woodland and descending to follow the River Lowther. The River Lowther is a small river which flows through limestone rock It is a tributary of the River Eamont which in turn is a tributary of the River Eden which flows into the Solway Firth near Carlisle.
The woodland then gives way to more open deer park and just before Crookwath bridge the path approaches the riverbank, we had lovely sunny weather on our Recce and the views were stunning.
After this we had a short walk along a road up to the hamlet of Helton it was a bit of a climb but not as bad as what comes next, however if the weather is nice the views again are amazing and if we have not stopped by the river for lunch this may be a place to rest and eat then carry on, its not much of a trek, but it is an uphill walk till we get to Askham Fell, then its flat again but you have some spectacular views and lots of nesting birds around. As we cross the fell, we pass a series of burial cairns and stone circles, suggesting the area was of special importance to our Bronze and Iron Age ancestors.
We have another short up before we start to descend from the fell into the picturesque village of Askham, before crossing the River Lowther and climbing through woodland back to Lowther Castle Cafe.
Not sure this is one of the best walks, but did have wonderful views. I also recommend you bring your poles and keep your fingers crossed for fine weather to enjoy the scenery. Sorry Ting there isn’t much flora to record.
There is a café and toilets at Lowther
Entrance to Lowther Castle is £15.
Historic Houses card holders gaining free entry.
English Heritage get 20% discount.
Gardeners World get 2 for 1