Traveller's Guide to the South and Central Lakes

40 ESTHWAITE Hawkshead WINDERMERE 1 2 3 4 Ambleside 4 miles (6.4km) 3.6 miles (5.7km) Brockhole, The Lake District Visitor Centre Windermere Bark Barn Jetty Windermere & Bowness-on-Windermere Windermere West Shore Cycle Trail An easy ride or walk to Wray Castle on traffic-free bridleways, with views across Windermere. Accessible from Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere by ferry. Start: Windermere Car Ferry Distance: 4 miles (6.4km) Time: 1-2 hours Terrain: Quiet roads and bridleway 1 From the car ferry follow the blue cycleway signs past Claife Station towards Harrowslack car park. Follow the 0.6 mile (1km) tarmac section through open fields. The road changes to a track at an open gate with a cattle grid. 2 Enter the woods and continue for the next 1.6 miles (2.2km) on this wide trail. It undulates with steep short climbs and descents – they can be easily ridden with care but some riders may need to walk short sections. 3 At Belle Grange, you will come to a sign post where a bridleway forks left, but keep ahead and right, following the main track towards High Wray. 4 After 0.3 mile (500m) you arrive at the tarmac road and Red Nab car park. Ride through the car park, signed to Wray Castle. The track follows the lake shore and is very flat and smooth for 0.9 mile (1.6km). Here the track turns away from the lake and heads uphill for 500m, signed to The Castle Gatehouse. At the road look right and you will see the Dower House Gatehouse. To get to Wray Castle continue on the Castle drive. Wray Castle From here you can reverse the route, making it 8 miles (12.8km) in total, or head back as far as Bark Barn where you can catch the bike boat to Brockhole then walk or catch the bus back to Bowness-on- Windermere.