Braithwaite is the natural base for exploring the Coledale Horseshoe, with footpaths along each branch starting in the village. Circular walks can either be gentle, encompassing Barrow and Outerside, or challenging, taking in Grisedale Pike or Causey Pike. Or perhaps you might take advantage of the Honister Rambler bus service and descend into Rannerdale or Buttermere, returning to Braithwaite by bus.
Cyclists are similarly blessed, with well-maintained mountain bike trails on the doorstep in Whinlatter Forest, while road cyclists can take a loop around Bassenthwaite Lake, crossing into the Lorton Valley, returning over either the Whinlatter or Newlands Passes. The truly fit could always carry on through Buttermere to the Honister Pass, returning via Borrowdale and Keswick!
For the walkers a spacious porch at the cottage allows you, on those few wet days (!), to shed your walking gear in proper shelter, while lockable outhouses allow visiting cyclists to store their bikes securely overnight.
Those visitors who prefer their walks at ‘lake-level’ can join the path around Derwent Water at nearby Portinscale, or use the Honister Rambler to explore the Honister Pass and beyond into Borrowdale.
