Potter Tarn

A small mountain lake sitting about 1,800 feet up in the Kentmere Valley, Potter Tarn rewards a proper walk with views that justify the effort. The water's dark and clear, ringed by fell sides that catch the light differently depending on the hour - morning sun turns it slate grey, afternoon makes it almost black. It's not a destination on its own, but it's absolutely worth adding to a wider valley walk from Kendal if you're spending time in the area.

The walk in takes about ninety minutes from the Kentmere valley car park, following good paths most of the way though the final stretch gets steeper. You're looking at three to four hours round trip if you're not rushing. The tarn itself sits in a rocky bowl with minimal facilities - no café, no visitor centre, just the water and the fells. That's rather the point.

Walkers and fell runners get far more from this than casual visitors. If your lot are young and unused to uphill slogs, they'll find it heavy going. But for anyone comfortable with moorland walking and after something genuine rather than manicured, it's excellent. The Kentmere Valley itself offers a string of decent paths and quieter terrain - well away from the Windermere crush you get near Kendal.

If you're basing yourselves at the Kendal Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Potter Tarn makes a cracking half-day objective. Free to visit, naturally. Go when the weather's decent - low cloud kills the whole experience stone dead.