Whinlatter Forest and Visitor Centre
: Cockermouth / Keswick / Braithwaite / Lorton
Whinlatter Forest is England’s only mountain forest. Planting first started after the first world war to combat the timber shortage. Whinlatter has had considerable investment in order to turn it into a recreational resource with many waymarked woodland paths.
Whinlatter Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre is the ideal place to start a visit. In the centre you will find an exhibition area displaying information about the wildlife and plant life in the surrounding area. A large section of this information is dedicated to Ospreys, as there are a few pairs nesting nearby. The Visitor Centre used to be home to a viewing area with a live feed camera broadcasting from the Osprey nest but has since finished broadcasting. This is due to the success of the birds becoming established in the area.
The Centre is also home to the information desk, where you can pick up maps and a guide to the forest, showing the fourteen miles of road suitable for walkers and cyclists, as well as many other paths for walkers and find information about the local area, wildlife and the activities that Whinlatter offers. A large gift shop can also be found on site selling locally themed goods, books and sweets.
Mountain Bike Trails – the Altura Trail
Whinlatter Forest Park is home to the longest purpose-built mountain bike trail in the Lake District. The Altura Trail puts the mountain back into biking and has been built for experienced riders with good off road skills and a higher level of fitness and stamina. There are however lower grade alternatives for many of the most technical sections.
Built by renowned trail builder Clixbys, the trail is a 19 kilometre red grade mountain bike route which includes 15 kilometres of new single track. There are challenging single track sections and popular features like berms, jumps, rock features, skinnies, cork screws and table tops.
There are also fantastic views of Derwent water, Bassenthwaite, Helvellyn and Skiddaw as the trail takes the rider to an altitude of 500m (1600ft) above Keswick. A guide to the Altura Trail (3mb pdf) is available at the Visitor Centre or Cyclewise Shop at the trail head. This gives route and grading details and should be read by all riders before attempting the trail for the first time.
A cycle-hire shop, Cyclewise Whinlatter, at the start of the trail, offers Mountain bike hire (junior, hard tails, full suspension and e-bike), a bicycle repair service and runs mountain-biking courses.
Wild Play at Whinlatter
Whinlatter is also home to the WildPlay trail, an series of imaginative and fun play structures and activities for children. The trail itself is approximately 600 metres long and has nine different play areas along the walk. These include a climbing wall, a giant timber climbing frame, rope and tire swings and the play huts/fairy kingdom.
One of the real highlights for many kids visiting the WildPlay at Whinlatter is the water feature with Archimedes Screw. A water based play area where children can twist the water uphill from a stream into a series of trays before the watching as the water slowly return back to the stream, a great educational activity that teaches kids both physics and engineering. The play areas are designed for children between six and thirteen years old.
Dotted around the other various trails at Whinlatter are statues of characters from the highly successful children’s book “The Gruffalo”, this is a great way for kids to enjoy the many scenic walks through the forests.
Cafe Ambio
Situated in the same building as the Visitor Centre, Café Ambio is a busy café/restaurant that is a popular rest stop for people out enjoying the forest activities. They offer a breakfast and lunch menu as well as sandwiches and hot drinks throughout the day and they boast a large outdoor seating area. The café opened in place of Siskins café in 2023 after extensive refurbishment, and is actually a Cumbrian franchise with other establishments in Grizedale, Backbarrow, and Kendal
Go Ape at Whinlatter
Situated amongst the backdrop of England’s only true mountain forest, Go Ape is a treetop rope course consisting of rope bridges, Tarzan swings, and zip wires.
Whinlatter boasts the highest Go Ape course in the UK, at 360 meters above sea level. This provides a unique experience of exhilarating activities while enjoying great views of the surrounding countryside. All participants are provided and fitted with a climbing harness and receive a thorough safety briefing before heading out on the course.
With a total length of 601 meters, Go Ape Whinlatter offers an adventure course with 39 crossings spread across five sections. The highest point is a 14.5 metres zip wire at site 5 and perhaps the highlight of the course is the 89 metre long zip wire at site 3.
Segway hire and training is also on offer from GoApe at Whinlatter.
Whinlatter Pass
Whinlatter Pass winds its way through the Thornthwaite Forest, to a height of 1,043 feet above sea level, with views over Bassenthwaite Lake. At the foot of the pass lies the small village of Braithwaite, straddling Coledale Beck. At the other end of the pass are the villages of High Lorton and Low Lorton.
The Whinlatter Pass forms part of a beautiful circular scenic drive from Keswick that includes Newlands Pass or Honister Pass, Loweswater, Buttermere and Crummock Water. These are areas that aren’t as dominated by visitors compared with some other parts of the Lake District. There are some spectacular views across the fells and forests of Northern Lakeland.
On the way from Lorton to the Visitor Centre is a car park, from where you can take a short walk to Spout Force. The Whinlatter Pass is a far less severe route than many of its counterparts such as Newlands, Honister, Wrynose and Hardknot.
Spout Force
On the way from Lorton to the Whinlatter Forest Visitor Centre via Whinlatter Pass, is a car park, from where you can take a walk to Spout Force. The trail to Spout Force is relatively easy and suitable for families, taking visitors on a gentle walk through the forest. The waterfall itself is about 10 metres high and is especially impressive after heavy rainfall.
2024 Parking charges (Whinlatter Visitor Centre) – £2.60 for 1 hour, 50p for every additional 15 minutes up to a maximum of £10 per day.
No charge under 20 minutes
Suggested pages:
Related Links (external websites):
- Whinlatter Visitor Centre – Forestry Service
- Cyclewise
- Cafe Ambio
- GoApe at Whinlatter
Grid Ref: NY 210245 / CA12 5TW
Planning a visit to Whinlatter Visitor Centre? See location marker below and enter your dates below to see available accommodation nearby on a handy map (zoom out for more options)
The image of Mountain Biking on the Altura Trail is a still taken from a GoPro video courtesy of RS Film & Photography
Archived Images of Whinlatter
