Round the lake: 0.4 miles,12 - 15 minutes
Time taken - whole walk: 2.5 hours (including frequent stops)
This walk to Floutern Tarn starts just past the Whins Farm on the way towards Bowness Knott and Ennerdale Water A narrow and twisty road will have been endured if you approached from Ennerdale Bridge, rather less so if you've come from Cockermouth via Lamplugh; although Croasdale Brow has its moments.
However, once past the Whins, there is room to park on either side of the road where a signed footpath leads you between two hedges to join another path which began by the Farm itself. Fairly soon into the walk, the path leads uphill towards the right hand side of Banna Fell with the imposing front of Herdus to your right. Once out onto open fell its well worth taking a look behind you, out over the fields of the lower Ennerdale valley and to your left over Ennerdale Water to Crag Fell - one of the best views around, if you ask me.
Looking down towards the coast it was clear that the sun was shining on those who had headed to the hills. Those poor saps in St Bees endured fog for most of this Easter Monday
Ennerdale Water, as seen from the path to Floutern only ten or fifteen minutes after leaving the car
The first part of what looks like open fell has now been fenced in and another gate appears just as the climbing getting a little stiffer. Once through that gate the path has become a double wheeled track which zig zags its way up a bit of an incline. A badly spelled sign warns the walker that the path "cross's" private land and doesn't give access to Great Borne, it also implores you to keep to the path. Might be wise to obey these instructions!
Once past this section, the route settles down into a gradual uphill walk across open fell. The path isn't great and can be wet and muddy but it's pleasant enough if you watch where you are placing your feet and, stopping once or twice to catch your breath, allows a backward look at a decent enough view down into Ennerdale.
A bit over two thirds of the way there and the long drag is coming to an end. In bad weather you may well have wet feet by now.
Looking forward from the same spot and Floutern Kop lets you know there's not too much further to go
After about 45 minutes walking, the ground begins to level off and your boots begin to sink in the squishy ground beneath - a sure sign that, having climbed over a stile, a few more yards to the right will give the first view of this magnificent body of water.
And here it is, Floutern Tarn in all its splendour. You may feel it a disappointment but, in its isolated position, it sort of feels like you've been on an expedition to get here so you might as well be impressed.
Getting down to the lakeside is a fairly easy three or four minute walk although there's always the possibility of your foot slipping into a wet hole.Once there, it took only ten or fifteen minutes to walk right round while stopping for photos and to peer into the dark peaty waters. The impression is that Floutern is not so deep and I was once young and daft enough to walk across it when frozen; not a sensible thing to do, I now realise that I'd have had to shout pretty loud for help if I'd fallen through!
Today though I had a nice walk round it watching whispy bits of cloud hovering over the end of Great Borne - they seemed like stray clouds who should have been at St Bees!
Stray clouds added to the slightly eerie silence of this isolated place
At the far end of the tarn the land falls away very sharply and, looking from a crouching position the beck which leaves Floutern seems to shoot off into fresh air. It is, in fact, Mosedale Beck which drops into a wet and boggy valley between Hen Combe and Melbreak from where it meanders its way down into the beck which flows past Kirkstile Inn in Loweswater. The views from this precipitous end of Floutern Tarn lead your eye to the Buttermere end of Crummock Water and across to the Newlands Pass beyond. Today, with those occasional bits of cloud hovering far below it made a wonderful sight. On other days, of course, you can struggle to see far past the end of your nose but today, at least, I was lucky.
A terrific place to be on a sunny day - and even the slowest walker can be here in a little more than an hour from leaving his car
Of course, it takes rather less time to get back to the car, it being downhill, but once up at floutern Tarn it would seem silly not to extend the walk and I did so by climbing around the back of Great Borne and descending down towards Bowness Knott before returning to the car along the road. Alternatively, you could climb up onto Great Borne itself (a real stiff climb, not for sissies) before dropping down into the valley at the other side. Both of these involve some scrambling down rocky bits and should be attempted only with a degree of caution.
Whatever you do, a walk to Floutern on a nice day is highly recommended!
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