High dam tarn is a lovely place for a child-friendly lake district walk. It’s something of a hidden gem as it is by no means anywhere near as busy as most of the Lake District walks. It is still a really lovely short walk that includes lots to interest children and views for adults too. Find loads more Child-friendly walks in the lake district here.
It isn’t a pram-friendly walk at all so please leave the buggy at home and bring a baby carrier. Dogs are welcome on the trail and it seems to be a popular dog walk.
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Where is High dam tarn?
Hign dam tarn is at the southern end of Windermere, to the north of Finsthwaite village. It’s not far from Stott Park Bobbin mill which is the only working bobbin mill in the Lake District making wooden bobbins. This working mill is now looked after by English Heritage and you can tour the mill on certain days.
Find out more about Stott Park Bobbin mill here.
We almost didn’t find the parking as the car park is not on google maps which is quite unusual and might explain the quietness.
The location details for the main car park are as follows:
Grid reference: 368 882
Postcode: LA12 8BJ (nearest available)
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High dam tarn parking
There are two places to park for this walk, neither of which are easy to find on Google maps. They are both just north of the village of Finsthwaite.
The first option is to the right of a sign for the high dam car park. It’s a small field with hard-standing parking, a picnic bench and a hut selling ice cream and drinks. The charge is £3, payable either at the hut or in the honest box.
If you drive up the hill with the parking field on your right, there is a small car park. This is a pay and display car park. There are no facilities in this car park and it costs at the time of writing £1.30 for 1 hour, £2.50 for 2 hours, £4 for for 4 hours and £5.50 all day.
It took us over an hour but if you weren’t stopping to play pooh sticks with kids on all the bridges and to play in the shallow waters, you could do it in under an hour.
The walk
Start and finish – High dam tarn car park
Approximate duration – slightly under an hour
Distance – Just under 2 miles
Accessibility – This is an uphill walk, with uneven ground in many places. This walk is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Public toilets – There are no public toilets on this walk
Other Facilities – coffee hut in the lower car park, unclear of the exact day and hours of opening
The route
If you park in the field at the bottom you need to follow the road up to the main car park. It’s really not very far at all and not too steep but I wouldn’t want to be pushing a pram up here.
The road ends at the car park, and from here you can find a path that continues up the hill where the road ends. You’ll be walking into woodland with a stream on your left hand side. You’ll follow the stream uphill towards the tarns.
The path isn’t a smooth surfaced path so I wouldn’t recommend you take a pram or young child’s bike up but it isn’t too steep so my kids managed fine.
There are smaller paths that detour from the main route at times but just keep following the main path and keep the water on your left.
You’ll soon reach the smaller tarn, low dam tarn. Ignore the path that follows a bridge to your left. Follow this main path to the top tarn. This is high dam tarn.
There is a circular walk around this tarn which we chose to do in an anti-clockwise direction but you can do it in either direction. It’s a beautiful tarn and you do get some lovely views of it from some points.
The path around the high dam is a mixture of woodland paths, bridges and a section of board walk. The terrain is up and down, all of which add plenty of interest for walkers of all ages.
If you do follow the path anti-clockwise, Shortly after the first bridge the path does split, the path on the right goes higher up. We chose to follow the lower path.
Once you have walked around the tarn, it is a case of retracing your steps back down to the car park.
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Recommended OS map
Nearby places to visit
We love finding hidden gems like this walk when we are out exploring. It’s such a beautiful walk by these two lovely tarns. Definitely one not to miss if you are exploring the area to the west of the foot of Windermere. It’s only a short walk but it is a very picturesque tarn and we appreciated a break from the crowds on the more popular walks.
You could combine it with a visit to Claife viewing station which is a really unique place to visit with stunning views of Windermere lake. Or a visit to Fell foot which is another National Trust location at the bottom of Lake Windermere near Newby bridge.
We also love visiting * Sizergh castle. We particularly love the play trail through the woods. Again this is a lovely short walk but one that is fantastic for kids. This one is also not pram-friendly. Find out more here – Sizergh Castle play trail.
The farm trail at the nearby Low Sizergh barn is also fun and the campsite looks lovely too.
Gummers how is our favourite starter Wainwright in the South Windermere area. Again the walk will take around an hour but it is a bit more challenging than High dam tarn but still manageable for young children. The views at the top are amazing! Find the full route here – Gummers How walk
Where to next?
This is one of many great family walks in the North West, click through to find lots more ideas for family walks.
As I have mentioned, this walk is not suitable for prams. Find the best Pram-friendly walks lake district
We love the Lake District, find the best things to do in the lake district with kids here.
Find lots of things to do near by here – Things to do in Windermere with kids
If the weather is bad, you need my post on things to do in the Lake District when it rains.
I know as well as the next parent that walking with kids isn’t always easy. That’s why I always have a set of Go find it cards in my pocket. They’re so much fun for keeping kids entertained on a walk.
Find loads of ideas for fun things to do on a walk with kids here.