Lily Pond is well positioned east of the hamlet of Colthouse and the village of Hawkshead, on the rolling, picturesque hills of Claife Heights. Access is via bridleway through scattered bracken, heath and forest. However, it is a blink-and-miss-it situation as it’s fairly overgrown. The path runs next to the tarn so it offers a better view than several of the inaccessible tarns nearby that have no public right of way: Hodson’s Tarn, Robinson’s Tarn, Wraymires Tarn, and Hagg Pond.
Lily Pond lies at an elevation of 194 metres (636 feet), and is a shallow half metre (2 feet) deep. In its wild and natural setting, this small body of water is peaceful. Without passers-by there is a sense of isolation. But even in its overgrown state, this is nature showing us what happens without human intervention. Eventually, this tarn will cease to exist as the encroaching flora fills in the remaining water. This has all the characteristics of a hydrosere, similar to that of the larger Priest Pot at the northern end of Esthwaite Water, and Out Dubs Tarn at the southern end.