Properties Close to this Beautiful Tarn.
Spot the Red Squirrels
Tarn Hows is one of the most visited spots in Lakeland - a body of water surrounded by spruce, larch and pine conifers, circled by paths (suitable for wheelchairs) and dotted with grassy picnic spots. Located around 2 miles north west of Hawkshead and a similar distance north east of Coniston, the land in which Tarn Hows lies was donated to the National Trust in 1930 by Beatrix Potter, who bought the land herself a year earlier. Since 1930 the location has been carefully maintained by the trust and there is a 1.5 mile path round the tarn that is level and well maintained and thus suitable for wheelchairs.
It is often rightly said that it is impossible to improve on the designs of nature. However, Tarn Hows may be the one exception to that rule, for the current tarn is mostly artificial. At the turn of the last century the landowner dammed the stream at the southern end of the existing pond, Low Tarn, flooding the valley and creating the stunning Tarn Hows of today. Although it created a place of real beauty, this damming process actually had a practical purpose, which was to supply water to a saw mill in Yewdale.
Tarn Hows attracts visitors for its sheer elegance, thick woodland and grand views towards Wetherlam, Helvellyn, and the Langdale Pikes. However, it is possible to find quiet areas, as there are many attractive walks among the maze of paths that surround the tarn, and most visitors tend to stick to the shoreline.
Tarn Hows is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and whilst walking through the woodland you may see some of the Lakes' (and England's) few remaining native red squirrels.
We have 10 great properties close to Tarn Hows - walk from your doorstop and explore this beautiful place yourself !
Chanctonbury for 2
Weavers Loft for 3
Weavers Gallery for 2
Old Barn for 4
Barn End for 2
Benfold for 4/6
Rose How for 8
Knipe Fold for 6
Swallows Nest for 4
Mulberry for 2
General Information
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- Contemporary Properties
Our Local Area
- Hawkshead Village
- Near and Far Sawrey
- Beatrix Potter and Friends
- Tarn Hows
- Coniston
- Lake Windermere
- Grizedale and Satterthwaite
- Ambleside

