Claife Heights Viewing Station (and cafe!) is such a fantastic, and family friendly place to explore. We caught the ferry across the lake, from Ferry Nab in Bowness on Windermere. This costs 50p per foot passenger, with children going free. You can also take your car across (£4.40) and park in the pay and display car park just after the ferry exit at GR 388954.
Follow the road away from the ferry, and take the first footpath on the right. Beware of poisonous blue-green algae at certain times of year. At the end of the path, turn left and you’ll see the National Trust cafe.
Continue past the cafe and follow the path up the hill to the viewing station. Have a good explore and make sure you find the treasure box on the top floor! There are some magical secrets inside!
The following video shows a quick tour of the upstairs of the viewing station:
The kids played for ages here, locking Daddy in the “dungeon” room, whilst I took photos! The light on the coloured window panes looks amazing!
More info on the Viewing Station can be found here.
Follow the footpath under the arch of the viewing station, and head uphill, in a north westerly direction (use OS map OL7). This is the only challenging bit, but our 3 and 5 year olds really enjoyed clambering over rocks and exploring fallen trees.
Almost at the top of the big climb, make sure you veer right, rather than left when you get the choice, and then finally you will reach the bridleway at GR384962. Turn left here and follow the path and then track all the way down into Far Sawry.
We stopped at the Cuckoo Brow Inn for an absolutely delicious lunch. Attentive staff, family friendly and I imagine in winter, that wonderful wood burner in the middle of the room would make it very cosy! Today however, we ate outside in the sunshine!
Leave the pub and turn left up the track and follow the footpaths back down to the viewing station for another play! And finally, the path back to the ferry. This circular walk is approx 2.5 miles, and the route we took is included in the photos below.
Walks nearby that could be linked to this include Cockshott Point and Post Knott/Brant Fell (on the Bowness side), or up to Wray Castle (along the western shore).
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Categories: 1 - 2.5 miles, great views, lake shore
Family Walks and Pubs in the Lake District 
This looks like a beautiful day out! I love your photos with the stained glass too.
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Thank you. It’s a fantastic little spot!
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This looks like a great afternoon out, would you say it was fairly (all terrain) buggy friendly apart from obvious things like the steps to the upper level at the viewing station?
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Not really Lucy. You could go on the road for The bit from the ferry across to the viewing station. But the path to throughout the woods, behind the viewing station isn’t pushchair friendly I’m afraid. Some of the wider paths one your out the woods are ok, but I wouldn’t attempt it. A better one to do would be the shoreline walk. That’s absolutely doable. Here’s the link https://family-walks-pubs-lake-district.com/2017/06/25/windermeres-west-shoreline/ You still get to see the viewing station and cafe but don’t have the inaccessible paths. Good luck!
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Thanks so much for your reply, we’ll try the other walk in that case. Have bookmarked several of your pages- what a fantastic site!! 🙂
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