Thirlmere: Find holiday accommodation, discover the reservoir, walking trails and history
Accommodation in Thirlmere
Thirlmere was created by connecting two smaller lakes into a single reservoir. In the late Victorian era, Thirlmere was developed as a reservoir. The development of the area is therefore closely linked to the water, while paths, structures and destinations in the surrounding area reveal further aspects of this destination.
File:Thirlmere Reservoir from Smaithwaite Banks 2025 01.jpg
Photo: Julian Herzog ( Website ) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Looking at these specific details helps to compare different offers objectively. The information provided for each individual offer is decisive here; take your time to compare these points before booking. This allows you to check the conditions important for your plans directly for the respective offer, without anticipating any features.
Nature
There is a circular walking route around Thirlmere Reservoir. The body of water is also subject to a clear rule: swimming is not permitted in Thirlmere. The Swirls Trail begins at the main Swirls car park. Swirls car park has accessible toilets for the trail.
The year-round bus service is also connected to this area. Bus route 555 from Kendal to Keswick runs year-round along the A591 and stops at Swirls. Thus, in the area around the reservoir, alongside the circular route, there are also the Swirls Trail, the main car park and a specifically named bus connection.
Walking and cycling
The “Helvellyn from Thirlmere” route starts and ends in Thirlmere. It follows the Helvellyn Gill Path to the summit of Helvellyn. Another route description concerns Dob Ghyll: the path to Dob Ghyll begins at Dob Gill Car Park and leads through woodland along a footpath to the waterfalls.
On two wheels, the National Trust’s Wordsworth cycling trail crosses the Thirlmere dam and follows the western shore of the lake. The dam is not only part of this route. A dam built in 1894 submerged the Thirlmere valley, including the settlements of Armboth and Wythburn.
History and culture
Wythburn Church is a parish church dating from 1640, built on the site of an earlier chapel. The building is listed and belongs to the Grade II category. The church contains stained glass in the west window dating from 1888. The chancel has stained-glass windows by Henry Holiday from 1892 and by Hugh Arnold from 1906.
The history of the reservoir also includes the Straining Well and Valve House. It was built for Thirlmere Reservoir between 1885 and 1894 and takes the form of a building in the style of a mock castle. Another historical reference is Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort: its defensive structures are particularly well preserved.
Surrounding area
Patterdale Old Castle, a castle, is located in the area around Thirlmere. In the immediate surrounding area are Helvellyn, a mountain, and Deergarth How Island, an island. Great Dodd is a mountain in the area around Thirlmere. Pull Beck, a castle, and Clough Head, a summit, are also located in the surrounding area.
In the wider regional surroundings of Thirlmere are Castle Crags and Dacre Castle. Both are castles in this wider regional area. Thus, alongside names directly connected with the reservoir and its paths, there are also mountain, island and castle names from different surrounding areas.
More destinations to choose from: Dufton, Kirkby Stephen, Longtown, Preston Patrick, Penruddock, Kirkoswald, Skinburness, Baycliff.
To the main travel overview: Cumbria.
