Looking towards Langdale Pikes from Orrest Head, Windermere, Cumbria, England

Alfred Wainwright's first visit to the Lake District saw him find his way up Orrest Head, just a short uphill walk from Windermere's train station. What he saw must have captivated him because he moved from Blackburn to Kendal and then set to creating his pictorial guides to the Lakeland fells. In my case, Cumbrian fells had delighted me even before I came to visiting Orrest Head at all and two more followed with the last of these seeing me get as far as the top of Yoke when other plans came to naught.

Not only do you get the view over Windermere that you see here but looking in other directions draws the eye towards the fells near Kirkstone Pass and Kentmere as if those beyond Windermere are insufficient eye candy. Thinking about it now, the Langdale fells may beckon as they do above, but others like Ill Bell and a more adventurous target like High Street are there for savouring. Orrest Head not only allows you to sample the more genteel side of the Lake District but also a little of its more rustic side too. It's as if the two personalities of the area can be seen together.