The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 3.8 miles (6.12km)
Time to walk: Roughly 2 hours but this is a walk to take your time, sit on some amazing benches, take lots of photos & just enjoy it all
Difficulty: A mixture of hard paths, quiet lanes & grassy fields. There is some livestock so your dog will be on lead when these are present. There’s also a few stiles
Parking: Either in the small National Trust car park on very carefully in some of the off road spaces
Public toilets: The Britannia Inn at the start & end of the walk plus the cafe at Skelwith Bridge
Map of the route:
I’ve walked this wonderful low Lakeland route many times over the last 35 years & I can honestly say, on a fine, clear, day I don’t believe there to be any better for a short stroll in this part of the world
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park & is a popular location for hikers, climbers, fell-runners, & other outdoor enthusiasts who are attracted by the many fells ringing the head of the valley. Among the best-known features of Great Langdale are the Langdale Pikes, a group of peaks on the northern side of the dale. England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, can be climbed by a route from Langdale
Great Langdale was an important site during the Neolithic period for producing stone axes & later was also one of the centres of the Lakeland slate industry
The mouth of the valley is located at Skelwith Bridge, which we’ll visit on this walk & the Langdale valley contains two villages, Chapel Stile & Elterwater where our walk starts
Further down, at the head of the valley is Great Langdale’s highest fell, Bow Fell
1. This walk begins in the beautiful village of Elterwater which lies half a mile north-west of the lake of Elter Water, from which it derives its name. And why not start & end at one of the Lake District’s most famous & popular pubs…The Britannia Inn
The Britannia was built approximately 500 years ago as a gentleman’s farm house & was converted to an Inn sometime during the 19th century. It’s always served the local community & was used extensively by local quarrymen & workers from the nearby gun powder factory which closed in 1929
2. Facing the pub turn right & follow the right hand road. On the corner’s Slate’s Coffee & Kitchen which can be highly recommended for an ice cream
Continue along the road as it winds its way out of the village
3. This is a walk where you’ve got to keep stopping & looking around you. To the left you start getting your first views of Langdale Pikes…
At the junction turn right
4. And walk carefully up the road. Just before the cattle grid look for a bench on the right. Fight to sit on it & admire the view…
Carry on over the stile, or cross carefully on the cattlegrid & then walk roughly 150 yards to the first junction on your left
5. Bear left along the small lane. Note the signs on the trees – this is red squirrel country so keep your eyes open
A project started in 2015 to restore the red squirrel population of the area, which appeared to have been replaced by greys, with the associated negative impact on trees, woodlands & songbirds
Thanks to sustained management across the area the project has significantly reduced the impact of grey squirrels on trees & other wildlife
6. Don’t cross it, but have a look at the wonderful wall stile on the left…
Carry on up the quiet lane. It’s quite steep but admire the beautiful moss on the walls…
7. This is sheep country &, whilst there’s plenty of varieties, everyone seems to love the Herdwicks, the backbone of flocks on the Cumbrian fells
At the junction ignore the lane going off to the right & continue ahead…
8. Eventually the lane arrives a T-junction where you turn right…
Follow the road down the hill where, over to the left, you get your first view of beautiful Loughrigg Tarn
9. At the gate cross the stile…
…& head down the meadow towards the Tarn just stopping ever so often to admire its beauty…
10. Pass through another gate…
…& cross the babbling stream…
…bearing right to walk along the left side of the Tarn.
Loughrigg Tarn is a small, natural lake at the foot of Loughrigg Fell. “Loughrigg Tarn” is a bit of a tautology, since “loughrigg” means “ridge of the lough (lake)” & “tarn” is also the name of a body of water
It was a favoured place of William Wordsworth, who, in his Epistle to Sir George Howland Beaumont Bart, likened it to “Diana’s Looking-glass… round, clear & bright as heaven,” in reference to Lake Nemi, the mirror of Diana in Rome
Alfred Wainwright notes that Loughrigg Tarn is “one of the most secluded of tarns”, rarely being visible from the fells. He also identifies that Loughrigg Fell is the only Lake District fell to share its name with a Tarn, although he might have overlooked Scoat Fell (Scoat Tarn) & Bowscale Fell (Bowscale Tarn)
11. The Tarn is also noted for wild swimming & the people we spoke to said it was extremely cold without a wetsuit!
Look for a gate in the fence at the top of the hill. Cross the next small stream & head towards it…
Ahead of you is a bench. Sit yourself down & soak it all in…
You can see now why this is one of my favourite benches
12. When you’re ready to move on, facing the lake turn left & follow the track. Keep looking across as the view changes as you move along…
Continue along the track, past the campsite, & exit through the gate
13. Carry straight on down the wooded lane…
…to reach the junction at the bottom. Look at the magnificent views ahead of you
14. Turn right & follow this road a short distance to the next junction…
…& then turn left to continue down the hill
15. At the bottom of the hill turn right along the path alongside the main road in the picture below…
…turning right before the bridge into the car park
16. It’s worth just diverting down to the seats & tables beside the river – we ate our sandwiches there…
Historically this was a small slate quarrying area & we’ll walk through park of the factory shortly
Continue ahead & should you wish to stop for refreshments, or to browse the shop, then ‘Chesters By the River’ is quite good
17. Facing Chesters turn right & walk under the sign & then turn left through the old slate yard…
We’re now going to follow the path alongside the River Brathay all the way back to Elterwater & it truly is spectacular walking. For its entire length the River Brathay forms part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire & Westmorland
The river’s name comes from Old Norse & means ‘broad river’. It rises at the highest point of Wrynose Pass & its catchment area includes the northern flanks of Wetherlam, Great Carrs & others of the Furness Fells, as well as a substantial area of the Langdale Fells
The small stream at the top of Wrynose quickly gathers pace as it descends some 930 feet in a distance of about two miles, flowing through tarns before turning north into the tarn of Elter Water
18. The Brathay drains Elter Water & flows for about half a mile to Skelwith Force where it descends 15 feet. It’s time to visit the Force so look for some steps on the left…
Descend the steps to the Force, being extremely careful in wet weather as some of the stones may be slippery
19. Come back up the same steps & continue in the same direction, passing the Trevor Woodburn Bridge. The bridge is named after local man Trevor Woodburn, who suggested the original idea for the route in 1998
Beyond the bridge the river is much wider & calmer
20. Pass through the gate into the meadows…
…to enter the final stage of this beautiful walk along the calm river & past Elterwater itself
21. The views across to the Pikes are spectacular & it’s only going to get better…
Just click on play & enjoy the walk
22. The river meanders to join Elterwater…
The Lake is the smallest of the sixteen lakes, measuring only around half a mile long, 0.4 km wide & reaches a depth of 15.24m. I love this shore area…
23. Leave the lakeside through the gate…
…& continue along the path passing a large fallen tree which has ripped up half the path
Check out the size of the roots on the other side
24. Continue along the path noting how clear the river is. Pass through the gate to arrive beside the car park & Elterwater Bridge which dates back to 1702…
So that’s it…if I had to put all of the walks I’ve ever done in England this would have to be in my Top 10 every time
Next time you’re in the Lakes you don’t always have to climb the big fells…
Go Walk!