Round the lake: 2.25 miles, 45 minutes - but see below re route!
Time taken - whole walk: 1.25 hours
Our walk started from the Cow Bridge car park just a short distance north of the Hartsop turning off the A592 Patterdale to Kirkstone road. Amazingly, a free car park (unless I just didn't spot the ticket machine!)
From the car park, a well laid path led us over a bridge and into the trees on the western side of Brother's Water. In a little more than a few minutes the lake itself hove into sight and a stroll down to the water's edge gave us an open view over the lake and up towards Kirkstone Pass. Brother's Water, from the descent from the pass, had looked like a rather bland rectangle of water but, from ground level was quite different. Rather choppy, on this cold but sunny last day of May (it really ought to be warmer than 10 degrees centigrade), it glistened in the sunlight and, with the rich greens that surrounded it, was a colourful and pleasing sight.
It looked possible that we could walk right at the water's edge but the path continued a little higher up, among some trees and we chose that option, taking us in an anti clockwise circuit around the lake.
Continuing through deciduous woodland, the path at first climbed gently above the lake but then descended again as, in a relatively short time, the head of the lake was reached. We considered the possibility of leaving the path at this point to trace a route along the end of the lake but this really didn't look possible without breaking our self imposed rule of not clambering over fences and through fields of livestock. If it had been, then a circumnavigation could have taken as little as half an hour but it might well have involved damp feet as the low lying land at the head of the lake seemed to involve reed beds and an un-distinct and gradual transition from lake to land!
We continued along the path, past various pretty patches of wildflowers - wild garlic, violets and, further up the hillside, bluebells - until reaching the farm at Hartsop Hall. We could now see that our route would take us through the farmyard and across the valley towards the road again - hopefully we wouldn't have to walk along it to return to the car, not with all those nervous looking drivers we'd encountered on driving down from Kirkstone!
The path took us through shady woodland with a variety of wild flowers on this chilly spring afternoon!
Hartsop Hall looked an interesting old farmstead with some peculiar shaped windows in one section. Not sure if they are an original feature from centuries past or a more recent addition. "Wikipedia" reckons the Hall dates from the 16th century so maybe they are original.
Having walked through the farmyard at Hartsop Hall, past the obligatory black plastic bags of silage and the John Deere tractor, the path brought us into a campsite. Not very full for this time of year, we saw only one camper, and he was exercising a daft looking oversized poodle called Megan. Megan was busy ensuring that her owner would have to "clean up after your dog" which was one of the many instructions given to campers by means of laminated notices nailed to fence posts on the perimeter of the site.
Just before entering the site, from a field occupied by ewes and lambs, a good view could be had looking down the lake in the general direction of Patterdale.
Looking north from close to Hartsop Hall. We arrived here by walking through the deciduous woodland to the left of the lake.
We left the campsite behind and, as we followed a paved road out towards the A592 were pleased to find ourselves led to a path which, after a few minutes, brought us to the eastern shore of the lake. Again, we were treated to a fine display of wildflowers - bluebells this time - and to some pleasant views across the lake to where we'd been just a short time before. Brother's Water really is quite a small lake and it seemed no time at all until we reached it's northern limit and the path deposited us on the edge of the road. Fortunately, there is a footpath and we were soon delivered, safe and sound, back at the car park.
Photographic tip: there are few countryside pictures that can't be improved by a red coat.
The path above soon descends to the end of the lake......
.......... and provides good views across the water to the western shore.
Back at the car park and I'm no thinner than I was when we started. Longer walks required!
All in all, our walk around Brother's Water (named after two brothers who drowned there in the 19th century) was a pleasant thing to do en-route from Ambleside to Ullswater. Not spectacular, and certainly not a test of endurance, it was just long enough to make you feel like you'd had a bit of exercise and had enough variety to keep you interested all the way round. Well worth doing again sometime.
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