Latterbarrow walk

The foot of the fell is reached by a modest climb through much open ground, graced by scattered elegant larch.

To reach the spectacular obelisk does involve a short steepish climb on a wide grassy path between bracken.

1 Turn right out of the car park and left along the B5285 for 200 yards. Take the signed track going off ahead from the road and follow it over Black Beck. Turn left along the newly reinforced path and go with it as it winds right over the soggy pasture to a gate. Beyond, stride on in the same direction where others have walked. Go through the kissing gate, turn half right and go up a delightful narrow path to pass through another gate. Cross Scar House Lane (track) and ascend steps to go through yet another gate.

2 Beyond, climb a steeper path and ascend the step stile in the wall almost hidden by a copse. Head diagonally across the pasture, following the waymarks, enjoying a glimpse of Latterbarrow and its obelisk.

The waymark directs you through a large wall gap. Walk with a fence to the right and then wind round left to the wide gate directly ahead. Press on before joining a narrow lane and turn right. Stroll on down the delightful way and then climb a little to a wider road, where you turn left.

3 A short way along you reach, on the right, a gate to the access track to Gillbank. Opposite this is another large gate, through which you make an oblique right turn on to a wide roughish track in the direction of Latterbarrow. Continue on the main track, and keep on to go through a huge deer gate. Carry on up and where the way comes beside the fence, on your right, look for the very pretty lily tarn beyond.

Pass through the next gate and continue on with a conifer plantation to your right and, over the wall on the left, an extensive area of clear-fell. which reveals a glorious view of the Lakeland Fells - Wansfell, Seat Sandal, Fairfield and Helvellyn. Turn left to see the tops of the Langdale Pikes.

4 At the end of the wall on the left turn left on to a path, with the clear-fell to your left .

Follow the path as it drops down a slope and then climbs to the foot of several steps. The way turns a little left and a longer flight of steps leads to higher ground beyond a wall. Turn right beside the wall and follow the path as it curves left, with the summit of Latterbarrow away to your right.

Curve around right as you continue through the clear-fell.

Press on until you can take a slightly reinforced path, left, which brings you to a large gap in the wall ahead. This is the entrance into coniferous woodland.

5 Take the track through the woodland to arrive at a stile, on the right, Beyond stands Latterbarrow. Take the grassy path climbing slightly right through the bracken, to reach the summit and its splendid obelisk. Here a wonderful panorama awaits you.

You can look down on Windermere in all its glory. Return to the obelisk, check on the path by which you arrived at the top and take the next path, left, due west. This is a generally grassy path that descends, quite steeply down the slopes, through bracken. It takes you steadily right through alder woodland. Cross a stream and continue with woodland to your right.

6 Step over a rock step, and descend towards the valley to reach a gate on to the narrow road taken earlier. Turn left and after a short distance, head right along a narrower lane. Just after the access track on the right to Syke Side, take a stile, left, into the National Trust woodland. Follow the path through deciduous woodland. After a quarter-of-a-mile take the path as it bears right to join a wide track and go left to a gate out of the trees.

7 Go down the track until you can turn right, signed Crofts Head. Go through the large gate (taken earlier). Wind right through the gap in the wall. Strike diagonally across the waymarked field and take the step stile near the wall corner. Descend the slope to cross Scar House Lane by kissing gates and drop down to the next gate. Go across the wet field to the gate onto the reinforced path, where you turn right, and then wind left, to reach the footbridge over Black Beck. Carry on to the A5285.