Eskrigg Tarn

Water stretches out calm and grey under Lakeland sky at Eskrigg Tarn, a proper working reservoir that doesn't pretend to be anything else. It's a functional place rather than a manicured beauty spot - all business, no frills - which honestly makes it better for a quiet walk than some of the tourist-mobbed lakes nearby.

The tarn sits between Kendal and the higher fells, making it a natural detour if you're exploring the area but not worth traveling specially for. The shoreline path gives decent views across to the surrounding hills, and on clear days you can see right back across the valley. It's the kind of place where you might spot a heron or catch fishermen casting from the bank. Forty minutes round the perimeter if you're dawdling, less if you want to crack on.

Families with young kids might find it a bit underwhelming - there's no café, no playground, nothing to break up the walk. But walkers heading out from Kendal Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite or Kendal Camping and Caravanning Club Site will find it a welcome interruption to road routes, somewhere to stretch legs and breathe properly. It's free to access, naturally, since it's essentially just a lake with a path.

Go in early morning or late afternoon when the light's better and the place feels less abandoned. Worth an hour while you're in the Kendal area, but don't shuffle your itinerary to make it happen.