I grew up in the village of Bampton so Haweswater a few miles down the road is very familiar to me. Being a man-made reservoir, this lake is often overlooked or shunned by those who can't forgive the reason it was created. But for me it is a very pretty lake and a good size for walking round in one day.
Haweswater has a controversial history, originally a valley with two villages and a small natural lake but selected to be damned and flooded to supply water for North West England in 1935. Wikipedia has a good write-up on the facts. Or if fiction is more your thing then check out the Haweswater novel by Sarah Hall who coincidentally I went to school with in Bampton.
On this occasion it was far too wild to be venturing up onto the fell tops so being keen to shed a few Christmas pounds we decided to stay low and round a lake that we were familiar with. Walking and photography conditions were not ideal but it was interesting to see the lake so full with strong wind whipping down the valley creating waves on the surface. We were blasted with rain, hail and buffeting winds all the way along the lake track for the first half but the rain let up and the strong winds turned in our favour for the return leg pushing us all the way back to the starting point.
All in all an enjoyable hike and a good distance to make you feel like you've earned a beer at the end.
![Gill asked me not to upload this photo [*request denied*]](https://dlvop4arndm54.cloudfront.net/uploads/718041237/217/1/images/haweswater-12.jpg)
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By Darrell Grundy - visited on 28 December 2011