Bowness Knot (333 m) is the first peak on Ennerdale’s north shore, its steep dusky pink scree slopes climbing from the lake. Below it lies Latterbarrow (273 m), a wooded dome, while beyond rise the bold silhouettes of Starling Dodd, Red Pike, High Stile, and High Crag along the northern Ennerdale ridge.

Brown How (330 m), a modest Birkett on the north side of Ennerdale Water, peeks above the tree-clad slopes of Bowness Knot. Its knoll-like summit and distinctive stumpy crag to the southwest mark it out from the surrounding forest as the ridge begins its rise toward Great Borne.

Looking across Ennerdale Water from the forest road at Dry Beck, the long whaleback of Boat How rises beneath the steep, fractured slopes of Boathow Crag. This dramatic face forms the northern wall of Iron Crag Fell, stretching westward toward Whoap and eastward to Iron Crag itself. The saddle between Boat How and Iron Crag is clearly visible, while its lower flanks are softened by turf and forest near the lakeside.

Carol stands atop Robin Hood’s Chair — a proud outcrop beside the Coast to Coast path as it begins its rise toward Angler’s Crag. From this rocky perch, which juts boldly into Ennerdale Water, the view opens to Herdus directly behind Carol, with Bowness Knot visible slightly east across the shoreline. To the right of Carol the full sweep of Ennerdale’s northern ridge unfolds eastward, a panorama often missed by passing walkers.

Near the head of Ennerdale Water, a wooded peninsula juts from the north shore, its conifers mirrored in the lake’s dark shallows. From this quiet vantage, the southern skyline rises abruptly — the rugged bulk of Iron Crag Fell dominating the view. These southern fells, with their sweeping flanks and steep escarpments, lend a sense of scale and seclusion to this quiet corner of the Lakes.

Midway along Ennerdale Water’s southern shore, a narrow mile-long belt of woodland hugs the lakeside beneath Boat How. This forested stretch—known as The Side—hosts a tangle of roots and slick stones that twist across the Coast to Coast path, demanding care with every step. In low light or mist, the ancient trees and fractured rock lend a brooding atmosphere to this shoreline traverse, making it one of the most memorable—and trickiest—lakeside passages.

The most captivating view from the head of Ennerdale Water is from its north-eastern shore, where the forested slopes of Ling Mell yield suddenly to the wild openness of Woundell Beck. This ancient valley draws the eye upward toward Silver Cove and the long skyline ridge from Caw Fell in the west to Haycock in the east. Here lies the heart of Wild Ennerdale—a rewilding landscape rich in history, once home to the medieval Woundell Vaccary, now returned to the rhythms of forest, water and stone.

Iron Crag Fell (640 m), a prominent Fellranger, rises steeply above the headwaters of Ennerdale Water. From this vantage, its full height is visible, though its sheer eastern crags remain hidden beyond the skyline. Char Dub, the narrow channel below, is known for Arctic Char spawning. The fell’s northern slopes are sparsely wooded, and its long whaleback ridge links westward to Boathow Crag and Whoap.

At the lakehead, the silty fringe of Ennerdale Water opens into pasture once home to the medieval Woundell Vaccary. To the east, the forested shoulder of 435 m Ling Mell rises above the path, its plantations guiding the eye up-valley toward Pillar. A trail from Woundell Beck climbs through a clearing to Ling Mell’s summit, while a separate route leads to the higher 610 m Tewit How. On the opposite side of the valley, the Red Pike–High Stile–High Crag ridge towers in the distance.

Looking east along the Ennerdale Valley, the River Liza winds gently through a richly textured patchwork of Ennerdale Forest. This corridor of woodland continues to the distant Black Sail Hut, where the valley narrows beneath Great Gable. The river’s source lies high on the eastern flank of Green Gable, in a stony hollow known as Stone Cove. From this viewpoint near the lake footbridge, the forested shoulder of Ling Mell dominates the foreground, while the peaks of Green Gable and Kirk Fell rise faintly behind the trees.