Bampton: Landscapes, History and Walking Experiences in the Lake District

Bampton lies on the eastern edge of the Lake District near Shap and Penrith. The village is situated in the Lowther Valley and surrounded by hills. Bampton therefore combines a rural landscape with an unusual amount of history: at Bampton Common, prehistoric remains, Roman roads and medieval route connections meet. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house can therefore choose Bampton as a base for days that bring nature, landscapes and historical discoveries together.

Landscape between the valley, hills and Haweswater

Around Bampton, Wild Haweswater encompasses a glacially shaped landscape with mossy rainforest, woodlands, rocky cliffs, moors, mountain lakes and rushing streams. The paths at Wild Haweswater are accessible at any time throughout the year. At the same time, there is no visitor centre, public toilets, public viewing shelters or café in the area around Bampton. Plan your routes and provisions accordingly for a day in this landscape.

The waterways also shape the character of the area. Haweswater Beck flows into the River Lowther at Bampton. The two standing stones northwest of Four Stones Hill provide a particularly striking viewpoint: their location offers a dramatic view over the valley now occupied by Haweswater Reservoir. The two standing stones are also a rare surviving pair of this monument type in Cumbria. In the same wider landscape lies a Romano-British farmstead 800 metres northeast of High House, which is currently flooded beneath Haweswater Reservoir.

Historical traces around Bampton Common

Bampton Common contains prehistoric cairns and settlements. The Roman road investigated there has been described as the highest Roman route in Britain. It follows a ridge along a more or less direct connection between Penrith and Ambleside. Deep track marks at Bampton Common partly indicate medieval packhorse routes and possibly even older paths. For visitors interested in the development of historic routes, this creates a timeline stretching from early settlements to later trade connections.

Further evidence can be found in the surrounding area: Towtop Kirk is a rare example in Cumbria of an early Christian enclosure, whose boundary is well preserved. The lightly fortified, single-banked hillfort in Scarside Plantation is reasonably well preserved despite some tree planting and vegetation within it. It retains evidence of the arrangement of the settlement inside, as well as the construction of the defensive bank. Tinclar's Library is also located in Bampton Grange.

Walking, stopping for refreshments and finding the right accommodation

Knipe Scar is mentioned in Wainwright's work “Outlying Fells”. Another specific walking option is the circular walk at Drybarrows, which leads to the edge of Bampton Common. This allows you to focus on different themes: a walk connected with the landscape, historic track marks or exploring prehistoric monuments. For a trip with children, these topics can work well as shared questions for discovery, without structuring the day around just one activity.

The area's local history also makes Bampton interesting. Before the 19th century, the trading heritage of the Bampton Valley included tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, grocers, butchers, clog makers, skilled blacksmiths and a miller. The Mardale Inn serves freshly prepared pub dishes and locally brewed real ales. When looking for accommodation, the desired structure of your day is therefore particularly important: those who want to combine paths, landscapes and historic sites should look for a location that suits their own travel plans, while others can structure their stay more around observing nature and stopping for refreshments.

For Mardale Valley, Mardale Head Car Park is located at the upper end of Mardale Valley. It has space for 25 vehicles and offers free parking.

Further places for planning your trip

If you want to compare Bampton with other destinations or plan your trip across several places, here is a compact selection: Nether Wasdale, Wheyrigg, Pooley Bridge, Holmrook, Backbarrow, Mealsgate, Oulton and Coniston.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cumbria.