Paddle across the peaceful, wild and tranquil Ennerdale Water, a remote hideaway from the rest of the bustling Lake District.
Distance: 4.5km
Time: 1.5 hours
Sat Nav: CA23 3AS
What3Words: ///disgraced.adverbs.stress
Find out more about Ennerdale on PaddlePoints >>
We parked at Bleach Green Car Park, at Ennerdale Bridge, Cleator.
From there it is between 200 and 300m to the lake, which takes roughly 10 minutes to walk with your equipment.
A trolley, like the one we got from Decathlon, is ideal for transporting your craft.
Due to Ennerdale’s remoteness there are no toilets and cafes.
However, four minutes away in Ennerdale Bridge, there’s The Gather, a community-owned cafe and shop (CA23 3AR – ///plausible.goodness.powerful)
There is also a pub, the Fox and Hounds (CA23 3AR – ///snuck.blog.refilled).
We left details of our location, planned route and anticipated paddling time with a colleague.
This is always good practice when paddling in remote places.
United Utilities manage Ennerdale Water, but it is no longer used to supply drinking water.
However, Ennerdale does still have reservoir status, and this is due to the underwater infrastructure in use.
The Wild Ennerdale Partnership welcomes kayaks and canoes, saying on their website:
“Canoeing on Ennerdale Water gives you a different view of the valley’s wild landscape.
“Ennerdale Water offers great canoeing opportunities and fantastic views of the valley, its big forest and iconic wild mountains.”
Sadly, United Utilities have placed a ban on the use of paddleboards, which Paddle UK hopes will be revised in the future.
Ennderdale Water is a truly wild location, so as you can expect, there is no lifeguard supervision or safety cover on the lake.
Given its remoteness, it is important that you are properly equipped for the conditions, you have a phone in case of emergency and you paddle within your limits.
Always Paddle Safe – watch our video for more information >>
Group permits are available from United Utilities. Please call 01768 772334.
We launched our kayaks close to the mouth of the River Ehen, and headed east.
The River Ehen is incredibly special as 90% of England’s Freshwater Pearl Mussels call it home.
As the country’s last stronghold for this critically endangered species, it is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Mussels in the Ehen are entirely dependent on the local salmon population to reproduce.
As Atlantic salmon is an endangered species, this is another reason for the river’s special protected status.
We took extra care to ensure all our equipment was thoroughly checked, cleaned and dried, prior to arriving at the lake, to prevent any risk of invasive species hitching a ride.
We paddled towards Anglers’ Crag which is an actually an outcrop on Crag Fell.
In the Lake District, the wind direction can change suddenly, so be prepared, check the weather in advance.
Wind can make paddling much harder and blow you off your intended course.
We travelled across the lake (which is 2.5 miles long and between 0.5 and a mile across) to Brown Knott.
We stuck close to the shore, passing the old Angler’s Hotel, before paddling back to our start point.
A lot of work is going into rewilding the Ennerdale area to make the valley feel more like Scotland or Scandinavia.
You can see the effects so far, there is an untamed feel about it. A beautiful place to paddle.
To protect Ennerdale please make sure you follow good biosecurity.
You are encouraged to check, clean and dry your crafts and gear before using them in the lake.
Ennerdale features in the end scenes of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002).
It is rumoured that it will make another appearance in the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
As always, plan ahead with the weather and be well prepared for a day on the water.
For safety advice while paddling on lakes, check out our advice on Go Paddling >>