Brothers Water
(See also Kirkstone Pass)
Dorothy Wordsworth
referred to Brothers Water as ". . the glittering lively lake. . .". It was mainly the setting
with which she was enthralled. Today, the lake is not so popular, being shallow and full of
reeds. In July water lilies are in bloom. Fishermen like the lake for its resident trout
population.
Its name used to be Broad
Water but apparently changed when, in the 19th century, two brothers drowned in the
lake. A wooded walk skirts the western shore. From its northern end the walk leads to Patterdale.
Southward it heads over Kirkstone Pass to Ambleside.
On the western side of Brothers Water is Hartsop Hall. The 16th century
building passed to Sir John Lowther in the 17th century. The village of Hartsop lies
near the northeast corner of the lake. Brothers Water is classified two ways: as one of
Lakeland's smallest lakes or one of its largest tarns.
Brothers Water is located at the northern end of Kirkstone Pass off the A592.
Under the care of the National Trust
Photos courtesy of Ann Bowker
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