Keswick - Lorton
Your first day of walking begins in Whinlatter Forest Park which straddles Whinlatter Pass, between Bassenthwaite and Lorton - you will be taken here by taxi. Starting at the top of the pass the first day is nearly all downhill! Using forest, field and fell side tracks the route makes its way to the Lakeland village of Lorton which is today's destination.

Lorton - Loweswater
Continuing downhill you will notice the beautiful views across Crummock Water and Loweswater to the Buttermere fells. The route then skirts along the base of Grassmoor before crossing the end of Crummock water and on to the night's stop in the hamlet of Loweswater.

Loweswater - Buttermere
Today you will walk through the remote valley of Mosedale before returning to the shores of Crummock water to another quiet Lakeland hamlet of Buttermere, situated under the higher fells, between the lakes of Crummock and Buttermere - today's destination.

Buttermere - Newlands
Day 4 involves the only significant climb of the trip, as the route climbs out of Buttermere and back towards Keswick. It climbs around 200m (650ft) on well defined paths over the fell sides. Once the pass is reached, the path drops down again to the peaceful Newlands valley.

Newlands - Keswick
From the Newlands valley the route meanders on before skirting the slopes of Catbells, en-route for Keswick and the end of this walk.

Easy to Moderate

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight in to the day-to-day operation, and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation, including small country house hotels, guest houses in market towns, bed and breakfasts in farm houses, country cottages and Victorian town houses. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. For example, over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, on a working farm, and in a Georgian hotel.

We always try to arrange ensuite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

General travel information for the Vale of Lorton area will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit www.qjump.co.uk where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit www.traveline.info

If you require secure car parking whilst walking this route, please contact us for information.

Getting There:
By Air: The nearest international airports are Manchester (MAN) or Newcastle (NCL). You can travel by train to Penrith (approx 2 hours from both) and then bus or taxi to Keswick (18 miles).
By Public Transport: Keswick’s nearest railway station is Penrith (PNR). You can travel on one of the regular buses to Keswick, or by taxi (18 miles). Keswick has a central bus station, and you are usually no longer than a 5/10minute stroll to your accommodation, or a couple of minutes in a taxi.
By Road: Keswick is in the Northern Lake District in the county of Cumbria.  The A66 passes right along the edge of the town, and the nearest motorway is the M6.

Returning from Keswick:
By Public Transport: Travel by bus from Keswick to either Penrith railway station (18 miles) or the larger station in Carlisle (37 miles).
By Road: A66 to Penrith (18 miles) for the M6 motorway.