Penrith Walks - Near and Around

3 miles (5.5 km)

This walk around the Lake District town of Penrith visits the medieval castle before heading up to Penrith Beacon for some lovely views over the area. It's only about a 1.5 mile walk up to the beacon from the town centre but it is a moderately challenging climb, reaching a height of over 900ft at the top.
The walk starts from the attractive Castle Park, in the centre of town. The park is a lovely place to start your exercise with attractively laid out rose gardens, flower beds, mature trees and grass areas to enjoy. The route takes you through the park to the ruins of the Grade I listed Penrith Castle. The medieval castle�was built towards the end of the 14th century and is owned by English Heirtage.
After exploring the castle the route heads through the town to Fell Lane which you follow to Beacon Edge. From here you pick up the footpaths through the woodland to the Beacon summit.
To continue your walking in the Penrith area head south of the town centre to Eamont Bridge. Here you can pick up a riverside footpath, heading east to Brougham Castle. Also near Eamont Bridge is the Mayburgh Henge and the King Arthur's Round Table Henge. These interesting historic sites are both well worth a visit.
From the henges there is another riverside footpath heading south along the River Lowther. This will take you through woodland to Askham where you can enjoy walks through the attractive grounds of Askham Hall. Near here you will also find Lowther Castle with 130 acres of beautiful gardens and the National Trust owned Acorn Bank.
The closest lake to Penrith is Ullswater, a few miles to the south west. You can catch a bus to Pooley Bridge and pick up the long distance Ullswater Way.
A few miles to the north east you can try the popular circular walk at Lacy's Caves and Long Meg. The interesting walk visits a series of red sandstone caves on the River Eden and a fascinating Bronze Age stone circle.

Penrith Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Penrith Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Penrith OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Penrith Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Penrith

Dalemain Estate - Explore 5 acres of celebrated gardens and acres of historic parkland in the estate of this splendid Georgian house
Ullswater Way - Explore the area around Ullswater Lake on this waymarked circular walk in the Lake District National Park
Miller's Way - Follow in the footsteps of Jonathan Dodgson Carr, Quaker visonary and founder of the Carr's breadmaker company in Cumbria
Lowther Castle - Explore 130 acres of gardens and castle terraces on this walk near Penrith in the Lake District.
Askham Hall - This walk takes you through Askham Hall and along the River Lowther in the northern area of the Lake District
Acorn Bank - This walk takes you through the National Trust owned Acorn Bank Gardens and into the surrounding countryside to the village of Culgaith in the Eden District of Cumbria.
Acorn Bank has stunning gardens with orchards carpeted with wildflowers and surrounded by herbaceous borders
Whinfell Forest - This walk visits the Cliburn Moss Nature Reserve before following woodland trails into the adjacent Whinfell Forest
Greystoke Forest - This large area of woodland near Penrith has miles of cycling and walking trails to try
Aira Force - This walk visits the beautiful Aira Force waterfall next to Ullswater Lake in the Lake District National Park
Gowbarrow Fell - This circular walk visits Aira Force Waterfall before climbing to Gowbarrow Fell above Ullswater Lake
Lacys Caves and Long Meg - This fascinating circular walk visits Lacy's Caves and the Long Meg stone circle near Penrith
Great Mell Fell - This walk climbs to Great Mell Fell in the Lake District National Park.
Hutton in the Forest - This walk visits the�Grade I listed Hutton in the Forest near Penrith in Cumbria
Askham Fell - This circular walk climbs to the viewpoint at Askham Fell from the Lake District village of Askham
Kirkoswald - This historic Cumbrian village is located in a lovely spot in the Lower�Eden�Valley, just south of Armathwaite and north of Penrith

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

A few miles to the north east of the town you'll find one of the area's top attractions at Hutton in the Forest. The 17th century country house is surrounded by some beautiful landscaped gardens with herbaceous plants, ponds with cascades and some fine topiary. There's also a lovely woodland walk with some fine specimen trees and lots of wildlife.
The long distance Lady Anne's Way starts/finishes in Penrith. It runs through the Yorkshire Dales to Skipton, passing several historic buildings associated with Lady Anne Clifford on the way. The noteworthy Noblewoman was a signficant restorer of many English castles during the 17th century.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Lake District Walks and the Cumbria Walks pages.