Ennerdale Water

The remote Ennerdale valley is the location of the little, alluring lake of Ennerdale Water, which is ringed by crags and dominated at its head by the rock bulk of Pillar. Ennerdale Water is the most westerly of the District's lakes, and, coupled with the fact that it is largely inaccessible (being the only lake without a road), this means that the lake receives comparitively few visitors. The Ennerdale Valley is perhaps best known for its forestry plantations dating from the 1930s - the orderly and regular outlines of the plantations gives an unnatural look, and they were cause for much criticism at the time of their creation.

Ennerdale Water sits quietly among this woodland beneath impressive fells, upon which many rewarding walks may be enjoyed. The magnificent crags of Haycock, Steeple and Pillar shelter the eastern shore, while the western shore overlooks the broad, featureless plain of west Cumbria. Ennerdale Water has been used as a reservoir for over 130 years, so the water is incredibly pure, with little plant or bird life.