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The West Windermere Way, Newby Bridge, South Lakes


In February 2023 the local Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) ranger contacted Cumbria Bridleways Society as they wanted to test out the new bridge and boardwalk on the first section of the West Windermere Way. Myself and Bridget Pickthall of course happily volunteered and spent a morning checking the route for horses before it opened in March 2023. We found both structures very easy to use and can very much recommend the route!

All of the sections (to date) of the West Windermere Way are now open and you can either complete a short route of between 5 miles and 7 miles (depending on where you park) or you can ride on all of the trail which makes a 9.5 miles ride from Backbarrow.

Starting at the Motor Museum at Backbarrow take the road down to the Whitewater Hotel and cross the river and then take the lanes towards Newby Bridge. After about 2.5 miles take the bridleway up through the woods. This is a lovely route through native woodland and it really does have a ancient bridleway feel as you wind up through the trees.

Going up through the woods






This brings you out onto quiet lanes to Finsthwaite where you need to continue onto the Bobbin Mill. Once at the Bobbin Mill you can either turn left and go on the longer route up to YMCA North Camp or you can turn right and do the shorter route. For the route description we are going to turn left and do the longer route.

Easy to use gates on the way to YMCA North Camp 

New Bridge 


End of the trails (hopefully one day it will carry on North)


There is a sort section of busier road to complete before your back on the trail, which takes you off road through farmland, woodland and over a stream on very nice new bridge. Once you get to the end of the trail you can either re-join the road and do a loop back on lanes or you can retrace you steps back to the Bobbin Mill. For this ride we retrace our steps and once back at the Bobbin Mill there is another bit of busy road to do and then you can pick up the trail through Great Knot Wood, which brings you out at Lakeside. This is a lovely section of trail through woodland owned by the Woodland Trust (thank you Woodland Trust of this new trail!).


New trail through woodland





From Lakeside there is another sort section of road and then you can pick up the trail again through parkland and along and over the steam railway line. The trail ends at the Swan Hotel and then you work your way through the lanes back to Backbarrow.

Trail from Lakeside



Mounting block if you prefer to lead over the bridge over the railway

Bridge over the railway





Boardwalk 



Road over steam railway, note low parapets 

road bridge over steam railway and bridleway gate up through the woods



Length of Ride
This is a 7 mile or 9.5 mile loop ride from Backbarrow. Route can be made shorter if you start from the car park for High Dam, located at the bottom of hill, Finsthwaite.

Parking
  • On the roadside adjacent to the Lakeland Motor Museum (also the starting point for this ride), Backbarrow, Newby Bridge LA12 8TA
  • The car park for High Dam, located at the bottom of hill, Finsthwaite (honesty box).
  • Parking can be booked at Bigland Hall https://www.biglandhall.com/

Things to note

It may be advisable to check if a train is coming before you cross the bridge or let your horse watch the steam trains before you cross. In winter trains do not run, but please check the timetable (https://www.lakesiderailway.co.uk/).

At popular times the trail may be busy and the boardwalk to Lakeside is not a bridleway.

The road through Lakeside can be very busy, so hi vis is a must. The other lanes are quiet and the bridleway through the woodland makes a nice circler route.

More information about the West Windermere Trial can be found on the LDNPA website - https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/projects/West-Windermere-Way

A GPX route file of this route can be download from Ride Cumbria Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/367414084781168 map below and route is also a public route on the OS mapping app/website.

There is a bridge and boardwalk on the trail that runs adjacent to the steam railway line. Until the parapets of the bridge are made higher (believe the parapets need to be 1.8m high) the LDPNA have advised that horse riders should dismount and mounting blocks have been placed at each end of the railway bridge. While we were testing this structure though, it is useful to note that from looking at the below photos you can see horses and riders are well protected on the bridge by the current parapets, which are 1.5m high. I would say this is one of the safest bridges I have ever ridden over and the parapets are in fact higher than other recently constructed bridges or other bridges over this railway. For example the new road bridge at Pooley Bridge, which has parapets that are 1.1m high and the new Gooseholme Bridge, Kendal, which is a bridleway and has parapets that are 1.4m high. Doing my own risk assessment of this steam railway bridge I am not sure what an extra 30cm would actually achieve in health and safely terms and personally I think its down the the individual to do their own risk assessment and decide if they are going to ride over this bridge. I am thankful to the LDNPA that even though the council have said that the bridge does not fit into their standards of parapet heights, that they have found a solution of riders dismounting and mounting blocks being provided, otherwise equestrians may have lost the use of this trail. The British Horse Society (BHS) are clear in their guidelines on bridges, stating that 'parapets on bridges are usually intended to prevent a pedestrian or vehicle from leaving the bridge while on the deck. Parapets to provide equivalent protection to a rider would be over 2m high and are rarely practical or desirable therefore the height of any parapet on an equestrian route is likely to be a compromise and there is no single solution for all situations. Where it is not practicable to meet the recommended standard on any bridge, mounting blocks at each end of a bridge would be welcomed by equestrians who choose to dismount and lead across the bridge' (https://www.bhs.org.uk/go-riding/access-and-bridleways-advice/).

The boardwalk made of recycled plastic (Feb 2023)

The bridge over the railway (Feb 2023) 










Blog and routes maps updated March 2025




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