Loweswater

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Loweswater, viewed from the north-eastern lakeside across to Holme Wood

Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. Loweswater is also the name of a village at the foot of the lake, home to the Kirkstile Inn.

The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. The group of fells to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater Fells and consists of Mellbreak, Gavel Fell, Blake Fell, Hen Comb and Burnbank Fell.

The lake is unusual in the radial drainage pattern of the Lake District in draining towards the centre of the District: its outfall, Dub Beck, becomes Park Beck and runs east or south-east into the north end of Crummock Water, close to that lake's exit. By way of the River Cocker and River Derwent, Loweswater's contents eventually reach the sea at Workington.

The immediate vicinity of Loweswater is very genteel and is consists mainly of rolling hills, in contrast to the rocky, more aggressive mountains found elsewhere in the Lake District (though Mellbreak, part of the Loweswater Fells, is steep and craggy). Loweswater remains relatively untouched by tourism, and is much quieter than the neighbouring lakes, Buttermere and Crummock Water. There is, however, a popular lakeside path, which goes right round the lake. The south side of the lake is the site of Holme Wood, a small forest. Within this forest is Holme Force, a waterfall of great beauty, which is rarely visited as it is not noticeable from the lakeside path.

Loweswater is owned by the National Trust. Rowing boats can be rented to use on the lake but use of one's own boat is not allowed on the lake. Recently the National Trust have done much work on the northside of the lakeside path, cutting down trees to improve views across the lake.

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