Best Hidden Gems in Cumbria (Lake District)
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best hidden gems in Cumbria (Lake District) are Crummock Water, Rannerdale Knotts, Slater’s Bridge, Kelly Hall Tarn, Ashness Bridge, Derwentwater, Easedale Tarn and Sunbiggin Tarn.
The Lake District draws crowds to Windermere and Ambleside, yet its finest corners are often the quiet tarns, old bridges and out-of-the-way fells that reward a walk away from the car parks. In the north-western valleys, Crummock Water lies hemmed by steep fells while little Rannerdale Knotts blazes with wild bluebells each spring.
Over in Langdale, the centuries-old slate span of Slater's Bridge crosses the Brathay, and near Coniston the reflective pool of Kelly Hall Tarn mirrors the Old Man. Around Keswick, the humpbacked Ashness Bridge frames Derwentwater and Skiddaw beyond, and broad Derwentwater itself scatters wooded islands beneath Catbells.
Higher up, Easedale Tarn sits in its glacier-scooped hollow above Grasmere, and out east on limestone moorland Sunbiggin Tarn draws birds to a wild, facility-free spot. Each rewards a little effort on foot.
Here are eight of the best hidden gems to seek out in Cumbria (Lake District).
Crummock Water
Photo: Gordon Griffiths via Geograph.org.uk
Crummock Water is a lake in the north-western Lake District, set in the Buttermere valley between the villages of Buttermere and Loweswater. Steep fells rise close on either side, Mellbreak and the Grasmoor group among them, hemming the water in and giving it a shut-in, dramatic feel.
The tall waterfall of Scale Force feeds into it from the hills nearby. Rowing boats can be hired on the lake, which stays noticeably quieter than its better-known neighbour Buttermere just up the valley.
Seek it out for a calm shoreline walk well away from the busiest crowds.
Rannerdale Knotts
Photo: Trevor Littlewood via Geograph.org.uk
Rannerdale Knotts is a small fell rising above the Buttermere valley, near the shore of Crummock Water, best known for the wild bluebells that carpet its side valley in April and May. It is a short but steep climb of about a thousand feet to a rocky summit, from which the view opens out over Buttermere and the high fells beyond, with Crummock Water below.
A local legend, more story than history, tells that the bluebells sprang from the blood of a battle fought here against Norman invaders. Paths lead up from the road and from Buttermere village.
Seek it out in late spring for the bluebells and the climb.
Slater’s Bridge
Photo: Jo Wood via Geograph.org.uk
Slater’s Bridge is an old slate footbridge crossing the River Brathay in Little Langdale, reckoned among the oldest and most-photographed footbridges in the Lakes. Built by the quarrymen, the slaters, as a way to reach the slate quarries nearby, it has two parts: a low, narrow slate arch over the main channel and a flatter slab section over a side channel, resting in part on a boulder in the streambed.
It is single-file and uneven, with a simple handrail, and lies on a well-liked circular walk around Little Langdale. Thought to be several centuries old, it is a spot to seek out slowly and cross with care.
Kelly Hall Tarn
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
Kelly Hall Tarn is a small tarn on open common near Torver, a little south of Coniston in the Lake District. It sits low among heather and rough grass, a favourite of photographers for its reflections and the view across to the Old Man of Coniston beyond.
It is reached on foot across the common, off the road, rather than by any marked route. This is a quiet, out-of-the-way pool rather than a signposted attraction, and all the better for it.
Seek it out on a still morning when the water lies mirror-flat under the fells.
Ashness Bridge
Photo: Tom Pennington via Geograph.org.uk
Ashness Bridge is a small humpbacked stone bridge on the narrow lane that climbs from Borrowdale toward Watendlath, above the eastern shore of Derwentwater. Built of rough slate, it carries the road over Barrow Beck in a single low arch, and it is one of the most-photographed spots in the Lake District.
The reason is the view from just above it: the bridge in the foreground, Derwentwater below, and the bulk of Skiddaw rising beyond. Often called an old packhorse bridge, it sits among bracken and rowan with the beck tumbling underneath, National Trust land throughout.
Seek it out, then follow the lane up to tucked-away Watendlath.
Derwentwater
Photo: Peter Jeffery via Geograph.org.uk
Derwentwater is a broad lake near Keswick in the northern Lake District, scattered with wooded islands and ringed by fells. Catbells rises steeply along the western shore, with the bulk of Skiddaw to the north, and a path runs right around the water for those who want to walk it.
Launches call at jetties around the lake, letting you hop between points on the shore, and rowing boats can be hired from the water's edge. Several of the islands belong to the National Trust.
Seek it out for an easy shoreline circuit or a boat trip out among the islands.
Easedale Tarn
Photo: Michael Graham via Geograph.org.uk
Easedale Tarn is a mountain tarn set in a rocky hollow above Grasmere, scooped out by an old glacier. A well-trodden path climbs up Easedale from the village to reach it, running alongside the white cascades of Sourmilk Gill, which drains the tarn back toward Grasmere.
The tarn sits ringed by fells, making a popular half-day walk from the village. The ruins of an old Victorian refreshment hut stand by the water.
Seek it out on the steady climb from Grasmere, following the gill up to the tarn.
Sunbiggin Tarn
Photo: Adie Jackson via Geograph.org.uk
Sunbiggin Tarn is an upland tarn on open moorland near Orton, in the old county of Westmorland in Cumbria, set in limestone country between the Howgill Fells and the North Pennines. Kept as a nature reserve, the tarn and the boggy ground around it are important for birds, drawing ducks, grebes and waders, while the surrounding moor is rich in limestone-loving flowers.
It sits on the Coast to Coast walk, reached by a quiet moorland road with informal verge parking, a wild and open spot with wide views to the fells and no facilities. Seek it out for the birds and the big moorland skies, bringing all you need.
FAQs
What is the best hidden gem in the Lake District for bluebells?
Rannerdale Knotts above Crummock Water is the standout for bluebells, its side valley carpeting blue in April and May. Reaching the flowers and the summit means a short but steep climb of about a thousand feet.
Where can you find quiet tarns in the Lake District?
Kelly Hall Tarn near Torver, Easedale Tarn above Grasmere and Sunbiggin Tarn out on the eastern moors are all quiet, reached on foot rather than by road. Sunbiggin in particular is a wild, open spot with no facilities, so come prepared.
Can you hire a boat on Crummock Water or Derwentwater?
Yes. Rowing boats can be hired on both Crummock Water and Derwentwater. Derwentwater also has launches that call at jetties around the lake if you would rather be taken across the water.
Conclusion
The Lake District's best hidden gems are less about ticking off the big-name lakes and more about the walk to a quiet tarn, the pause on an old slate bridge, or the spring hillside lit with bluebells. Some, like Derwentwater and Ashness Bridge, sit close to the road and welcome easy visits, while others, Kelly Hall Tarn, Easedale Tarn and windswept Sunbiggin Tarn, ask for a walk over common or fell with few or no facilities at the far end.
Between them they show the region at its most rewarding, from Buttermere's shut-in waters to the limestone moors out east. Go prepared, tread lightly on the paths, and let the fells set the pace.
Whether you reach one on a short stroll or link several across a longer trip, these are the best hidden gems to seek out in Cumbria (Lake District).
