Gummer's How is a hill in the southern part of the Lake District, on the eastern shore of

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...

, near its southern end. How, derived from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

word '' haugr'', is a common local term for a hill or mound. Although a relatively small hill (321 metres above sea level) by the standards of the Lake District, it is the highest of the foothills in the area and commands excellent views, particularly along Windermere (the summit looks out over the magnificent Town Head House estate towards the lake), but also across to the Coniston

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...

s and the central fells, as well as the broad panorama of

Morecambe Bay Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second large ...

. There is an OS

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they ...

on the summit. The walk to the summit is usually from the road at Astley's Plantation car park, itself at over 200 metres above sea level, and only 700 metres from the summit. Although short and easy by most standards, and popular with families, it has many of the characteristics of a walk in the higher Lakeland fells, with some (short) steep slopes, rocks to negotiate, and

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produ ...

and

heather Heather may refer to: Plants *The heather family, or Ericaceae, particularly: **Common heather or ling, '' Calluna'' **Various species of the genus '' Cassiope'' **Various species of the genus '' Erica'' Name * Heather (given name) * Heather ...

. The lower slopes are forested, but the upper portion is moorland. Gummer's How is the subject of a chapter of Wainwright's book ''

The Outlying Fells of Lakeland ''The Outlying Fells of Lakeland'' is a 1974 book written by Alfred Wainwright dealing with hills in and around the Lake District of England. It differs from Wainwright's ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Pictorial Guides'' in that each ...

''. He describes it as "an old man's mountain", and says of it: "And when ancient legs can no longer climb it know ye that the sad day has come to hung up the boots for ever and take to slippers".

Simon Jenkins Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992. Jenkins chaired the National Trust from 20 ...

rates the Windermere panorama of the Lake District,

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commonly ...

and Morecambe Bay as one of the top ten in England.

References

External links

Lake Windermere from Gummers Howe

{{Marilyns N Eng Marilyns of England Fells of the Lake District Staveley-in-Cartmel