Woodland campsites in Grizedale Forest

From the parking areas arranged around the southern end of the forest, hook up with the way-marked Silurian Way, tackle a forest biking trail, visit the churning rapids of Force Falls, or take advantage of the Grizedale Forest’s most conveniently located campsite, south of Satterthwaite village. Further east toward Windermere are the magical Graythwaite Hall Gardens, open in spring and summer only.

One of the Lake District’s most celebrated lakes, Coniston Water frames Grizedale Forest’s western end. The Brantwood country estate, former residence of the Victorian writer and arts patron John Ruskin, sits caught between forest and lakeshore along eastern Coniston Water. Cross-lake summertime ferries connect to Coniston village and the western shore, where you can walk the Cumbria Way along the lake’s only road-free stretch. Pitch in southern Grizedale or along Coniston Water’s west shore.

The winsome village of Hawkshead, much of which is owned by the National Trust, is a fine base for adventures into the forest’s northern reaches. Hawkshead heads up Esthwaite Water and houses the Beatrix Potter Museum, displaying the writer and illustrator’s original artworks. The forest’s best mountain-biking is also in the north, on trails like the challenging, red-graded singletrack North Face Trail. Hawkshead offers the handiest pitching.