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Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere

1 ha

📷 Mick Garratt · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Plan your visit

BirdsWildlifeInsects
Free entryDogs welcome1 ha

Getting here

54.55999, -3.08418

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Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

  • 🐦66+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Chaffinch and Robin
  • ✦Historic character is a year-round quality here — summer brings its own atmosphere to the setting
  • 🐕Dogs welcome — bring water in summer; the site has enough space to find shade on hot days

Good to know

  • £Free to visit — no entry charge
  • 🐕Dogs welcome

Best for

7 activities

Bird watching

Birds — Chaffinch, Robin, Wren +63 more · last seen 2025; Deciduous woodland — woodpeckers, warblers and woodland birds

Free

Wildlife

Birds — Chaffinch, Robin, Wren +63 more · last seen 2025; Deciduous woodland priority habitat

Free

Insect spotting

Insects — Hydropsyche siltalai, Rhyacophila dorsalis, Sericostoma personatum +45 more · last seen 2025

Free

Seasonal nature

Plants — White Earwort, Common Tamarisk-moss, Western Earwort +164 more · last seen 2024

Free

Heritage

Historic site

Free

Foraging

Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic

Varies

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km
🚶

Walking

17 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
Coast to Coast Walk (St Bees to Shap)Walking route
Named routeRef C2CNational walking route
Peace How Walk From High Brandelhow Jetty, North Lakes OutdoorsWalking route3 km

A gentle walk with time & space to reflect. Peace How looks over Derwent Water to the north, & Castle Crag – a WW1 memorial fell – to the south. It was gifted to NT in 1917, so that anyone affected by the WW1 could come & experience peace & tranquility.

Named routeLength 3 kmDuration 01:00Round tripLocal walking route
Octavia Hill walk at Brandelhow Park, Derwent Water, North Lakes OutdoorsWalking route5.8 km

An easy lakeside amble along the quiet side of Derwent Water, leading you on a circular route through the tranquil parkland at Brandelhow, birthplace of the National Trust in the Lake District. Low-level lakeside and woodland paths.

Named routeLength 5.8 kmDuration 01:30Round tripLocal walking route
Borger Dalr Geology Walk, North Lakes OutdoorsWalking route6.4 km

Explore the origins of Borrowdale as you walk from Bowder Stone car park to Castle Crag, including the poignant war memorial Peace Howe, and amazing views of the flat valley bed that was formerly the bottom of an Ice Age lake. A steep but gradual climb.

Named routeLength 6.4 kmDuration 03:00Round tripLocal walking route
Bowder Stone, North Lakes OutdoorsWalking route900 m

A short linear walk to the Bowder Stone; a house-sized boulder balanced inexplicably on its side. Climb the ladder to the top of this Georgian tourist attraction.

Named routeLength 900 mDuration 00:15Round tripLocal walking route
🚴

Cycling

31 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
Route 6Cycling route
Named routeRef 6National Cycle Network
Route 7Cycling route
Named routeRef 7National Cycle Network
Keswick to Threlkeld Railway TrailCycling route
Named routeLocal cycle route
Route C2CCycling route

Old Coach Road alternative

Named routeRef C2CRegional cycle route
Main RouteCycling route54 m
Named routeRef 7Length 54 mNational Cycle NetworkTraffic-freeSurface asphalt
Main RouteCycling route5.8 km
Named routeRef 6Length 5.8 kmNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt

Wildlife to spot

Photos

Shoulthwaite Gill

📷 Mick Garratt · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Shoulthwaite Gill

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Weather for this location

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Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

✦Castlerigg stone circle and two bowl barrowsHistoric site4.9 km→✦Castlerigg Stone CircleHistoric site4.9 km→💧ThirlmereReservoir2.9 km→💧ThirlmereReservoir2.9 km→🐄Springs CafeVisitor farm4.5 km→✦Ruskin MonumentHistoric site5 km→