Location guide
Devoke Water in the Lakes is a great location for photographic opportunities in bad weather, says Dave Fieldhouse
Why Devoke Water in the Lakes is a great photographic location
CUMBRIA gets more than its fair share of rain, which helps to create the landscape of ‘ The Lakes’. Sometimes there can be no avoiding the elements, and it’s on these occasions I look for a location that works better in bad weather than in good.
Devoke (pronounced ‘Duvvock’) is one of the most remote locations I visit in the Lake District, but is easy to get to. The journey itself, following the road over Birker Fell, can be breathtaking as it climbs over 800ft across the National Park. It can be accessed from the road linking the Duddon Valley with Eskdale. From Eskdale Green head towards Hardknott Pass and at the King George IV pub continue straight on, signposted Ulpha and Broughton. Just under 3 miles away there is roadside parking where you will see a road to the left towards Stanley Ghyll and a bridleway track to the right, which is signposted Devoke Water. Once parked, it is just a short walk along an easily identifiable path until you reach the shores of the Tarn.
Once you're there it’s a compositional playground. On the eastern shores of the tarn sits an old boathouse. This makes a lovely subject to photograph facing to the west (using it as foreground), or from the opposite shore where the cone-like summit of Pike How makes an excellent background. It is easy to walk around the tarn. There are plenty of interesting, lichen- covered rocks and boulders to investigate and tumbledown drystone walls. The tarn is on the higher reaches of Birker Fell and being on the western flanks of the Park it’s not so sheltered from the winds.