Brothers Water
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brothers Water | |
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| Location | Lake District, Cumbria |
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| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
Brothers Water is in the Hartsop valley and is a small lake in the eastern region of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. Once called Broad Water, it lies at the northern end of Kirkstone Pass, affording picturesque views on the descent towards Patterdale.
Dorothy Wordsworth referred to it as ". . the glittering lively lake. . .". She was enamoured of the setting. The lake is not among the most popular of the National park, being shallow and full of reeds. Water lilies bloom in July, providing colour.
The name Broad Water was changed when, in the 19th century, two brothers drowned there. Two brothers had drowned previously, in about 1875, whilst ice skating. Dorothy Wordsworth stated "It is remarkable that two pairs of brothers have been drowned in that lake."
To the north east of Brothers water is the village of Hartsop, which has several seventeenth century stone farm buildings and cottages. Some of the buildings still contain spinning rooms where villagers would have made their own clothing, selling any surplus in the local market towns. The word Hartsop means "valley of the deer", which would have lived in the woodlands of the lower areas of the surrounding fells.
A walk through woodland skirts the western shore. From its northern end the walk leads to Patterdale. Southward it heads over Kirkstone Pass to Ambleside.
On the western side of Brothers Water is Hartsop Hall. The 16th century building passed to Sir John Lowther in the 17th century. The village of Hartsop lies near the northeast corner of the lake. Brothers Water may be classified in either of two ways: as one of the Lake District's smallest lakes or one of its largest tarns.
The lake is home to a trout population and harbours a rare species of fish, the schelly.
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