Walking
There are several nice walks from Hinning House:
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The Suspension Bridge:
A short stroll along the road up the valley will take you past Cropple How and after a further 200 yards take the gated track on the left down to the River. Have fun playing Pooh-sticks racing twigs from the bridge to the weir. If you are feeling more adventurous there is a footpath that leads from the other side of the suspension bridge diagonally up the valley to join the forestry track on the other side of the valley.
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Latter Barrow:
Take the forestry track that runs beside Hinning House up the fell. After a while the path enters woodland. Keep on the track which eventually crosses the stream. About 400 yards further on you bear left along a wall to emerge behind latter barrow. You can walk up to the top of latter barrow which has fantastic views of Lower Eskdale, Muncaster Castle and the Ravenglass Estuary: You can head back the same way or head off the front side of Latter Barrow back into the valley. If you bear left on the way down you will cross the stream and there is a set of wooden steps at the bottom of the fields to get back onto the original track.
Devoke Water:
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make your way up to Latter Barrow following either the outward or return route described above and then head across the dip between Latter Barrow and Raven Crag and up through the gate at the back of Raven Crag. Head due east across the fell until you Reach Devoke Water. This can be muddy so you will need to choose your route wisely across the bog patches and a compass is advised, especially if it is foggy. There is a track which leads around the south side of the lake, the path on the north side is less well trodden. You can head beyond to Boot.
BarnScar:
On the way back from Devoke water you can take the footpath to the ancient Viking settlement ruin of Barnscar (not a lot to see –piles of stones where buildings once stood but you can conjour up the ancient scene of this settlement). The trek across the fell due North back to Latter Barrow/Raven Crag is boggy. A compass is again advised for this walk.
There used to be a nice footpath across the valley through the gate directly opposite Hinning House and across Hinning House Bridge opposite. This was decommissioned some years ago on the grounds that the bridge is unsafe.
The walking in Eskdale is unparalleled. You can hike from the valley bottom to the summit of the highest peak in England, or you can walk onto the high fells, where you will chance upon hidden tarns and splendid waterfalls and find secret swimming dubs in the mountain becks. You can trace the sinister old Coffin route over to Wasdale, you can see the ruins of the haunted staging post, and imagine life in a different time. Or after a bit of rain you can walk up through the rhododendrons alongside Stanley Falls as the water booms in the narrow ravine.
From Boot you can walk up to the Mill and from here you can cross the Whillan Beck. If you follow the path in the direction of the beck, this takes you up to Burnmoor Tarn, a tranquil place on top of Eskdale Fell, and a great spot for a picnic and maybe a dip. From here you can if you want drop down to Wasdale Head, and if you were going to do that it might make sense to leave a car there before you start, otherwise you're going to have to retrace your steps to get home.
From Brotherinkeld at the top of the valley you can follow the Esk up to where it rises on the Great Mloss, here you find yourself on an open plain, surrounded by the great Lakeland Fells, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Great End, Esk Pike and Bowfell. If you've still got plenty of energy left then from here you can continue on up Cam Spout to Mickledore, with fantastic views down to Wasdale and the sea. From here the adventurous can reach the tops of Scafell Pike and Scafell, although you've already come quite a long way.
If you are in the valley in May then one of the best ways of passing a couple of hours is wandering through the woods, with the floors carpeted in bluebells. Take a stroll through the Japanese Gardens on the hillside above Eskdale Green or wander into Miterdale, where if you are lucky you will see all kinds of wildlife including deer, and the flowers and trees are beautiful.
If you fancy a break from hiking or if you just prefer to see the lakes by road, you can get a real dose of the breathtaking views of the lakes that are usually reserved for those who are prepared to put in the miles on foot, by driving over the precipitous passes between Eskdale and Ambleside. Not for the faint hearted, Hardknott and Wrynose passes are two of the most impressive highways in the country and they really do take you to places that other roads don't reach. On the way up you can stop at Hardknott Fort, a Roman staging post and imagine, what it would have been like to be stationed there all those hundreds of years ago.