Guide to Wildlife Hotspots in the Lake District

The Lake District is teeming with all manner of stunning wildlife. With so many spectacular landscapes to explore, it’s hard to know where to begin when you’re on the lookout for some of the region’s incredible and varied fauna.

We’ve put together a mini-guide to some of our favourite wildlife hotspots in the Lake District National Park, so you can admire the majestic local creatures while experiencing the splendour of their natural habitats.

Grizedale Forest

This beautiful forest between the waters of Windermere and Coniston is home to England’s last surviving indigenous herd of woodland Red Deer. Roe Deer are also plentiful here as well as and a large number of red kites, thanks to a careful programme to see these majestic birds of prey reintroduced here back in 2010.

Whether you want to explore by bike or on foot, there are miles of paths and tracks for visitors to enjoy as they take in their surroundings. Keep an eye out for the flick of a deer’s ear in the undergrowth or a red kite gliding through the sky.

Dorothy Farrer’s Spring Wood

This enchanting nature reserve outside Kendal is a joy to behold, especially in spring when the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells. Because of its history of coppicing, there’s also a host of foxgloves, violets, wild garlic, orchids and other beautiful wildflowers to admire.

This is a real haven for bird species, and twitchers will have the chance to spot great spotted woodpeckers, redstarts, blackcaps, flycatchers, willow warblers and buzzards, to name just a few.

Allan Bank and Grasmere

Because of the spread of the non-indigenous grey squirrel, native red squirrel faces the threat of extinction across much of England. However, a population of reds is still thriving around the waters of Grasmere and at Allan Bank, a National Trust property once home to William Wordsworth, where staff works hard to support the squirrel residents of its grounds.

It’s a lovely treat to be able to wander the gardens overlooking the lapping waters of Grasmere, whilst the squirrels scurry across the lawns and play together.

Foulshaw Moss

This lowland peatbog is a nature reserve that attracts wildlife not seen elsewhere in the peak district, including the very rare white-faced darter dragonflies and bog bush-crickets. Green hairstreak butterflies, adders, and lizards are also regular visitors to this peatland paradise.

Lots of migrating birds, such as cuckoos and willow warblers make the reserve their home during summer months and a pair of ospreys flocks who were born in the Lakes have returned to the area from Africa breed. If you’re not able to spot these two birds on your visit to Foulshaw Moss, don’t worry: Wildlife Trust Cumbria have set up a live osprey nest cam, so you can take a sneak peek at the birds in question without disturbing them.

In need of a secluded sanctuary of your own? Take a look at our selection of handpicked cottages in the Lake District.