Elterwater Lakes

fr

In contrast to the great lakes of the Lake District, here are three small lakes that lay south of Elterwater village.

Technical sheet

n°119515
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.51 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 158 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 160 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 174 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 58 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Description of the walk

From Ambleside, take the B5343 and park on the roadside before Elterwater village (S).

Go down a path through the meadows reaching Elterwater village (1). Take a wide alley used as a promenade leading to the lakes, and walk along the north banks. Keep walking on the promenade reaching the bridge (2) and cross the stream outflow (Brathay River).

Go through the forest and onto a side trail called Cumbria Way. Follow this path to the right, then leave it to the left when you reach the junction with a little paved road. Keep going straight on the road until you get to Stang End(3).

Take a 90° right-hand turn leading you to houses in Little Langdale. There's a short journey before getting to the trail (4) which heads north-east then north before reaching a larger track (5).

Take this large path to the right and walk in a slight downhill direction towards the first houses of Elterwater and then the road (6) which, going left takes you back to point (1) and on to the car park on the same path as when you started.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 74 m - Roadside at Elterwater
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 63 m - Elterwater
  3. 2 : km 2.53 - alt. 70 m - Footbridge over River Brathay
  4. 3 : km 5.57 - alt. 128 m - Stang End
  5. 4 : km 6.12 - alt. 118 m - Langdale Trail
  6. 5 : km 6.83 - alt. 174 m - Track
  7. 6 : km 7.8 - alt. 77 m - Route Elterwater
  8. S/E : km 8.51 - alt. 73 m - Roadside at Elterwater

Practical information

No water, no shelter

In the nearby area

The waterfall by the Brathey River bridge

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Claire.561
Claire.561

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This walk was a lovely cir circular walk from Elterwater. It was easy to follow and the landscape was beautiful.
OLIVET
OLIVET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Afternoon walk in good weather conditions... Nice, well-developed path, beautiful forest paths, pleasant edge of Elter Water lake and pretty waterfall at River Brathay... A little bit of tarmac at the end... Can be done with the family, no particular difficulty!
This was our first walk in the Lake District. We built up our strength over the next few days, especially as the weather was fine. We were staying at YHA Ambleside in Waterhead, near the pier on Lake Windermere. It was great to be able to go boating and hiking together!

Automatically translated
rosalynwalker2
rosalynwalker2

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very good walk around the lake, lots of local interesting views. Bonus was the pub in Elterwater
TAIVA
TAIVA

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An easy walk that punches above it's weight. Lucky enough to walk after snowfall in January and with snow capped mountains surrounding us, it felt like an alpine experience.
trolltune
trolltune

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant Sunday walk. Begins very wide, busy and flat but changes to a more rural character after the Brathay bridge. The highlight of the walk is perhaps the view of High Force from below, reached by a short 20 metre diversion to the right while walking through the forest after crossing the road at Colwith. The Britannia Inn in Elterwater is en-route and offers a welcome near the end of the walk
virgule
virgule

To be continued, I dream of going back there one day

Automatically translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Elter Water and Loughrigg Tarn

Walker
Elter Water and Loughrigg Tarn
↔7.34 km ↗+94 m ↘-93 m ◔2h 20 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
A lovely walk to see Elter Water and Loughrigg Tarn. This can be a popular walk during the summer months especially until the waypoint (5). Good navigation is needed between waypoints (5) and (8) as the path is not visible especially in summer with all the vegetation. This is a dog friendly route.

Walking Lingmoor, Side Pike and Little Langdale

Walker
Lingmoor, Side Pike and Little Langdale
↔14.40 km ↗+585 m ↘-582 m ◔5h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
This is an interesting walk from Elterwater or Chapel Stile.

Walking Lingmoor and Great Langdale

Walker
Lingmoor and Great Langdale
↔13.16 km ↗+516 m ↘-508 m ◔5h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
This is a circular walk from Elterwater which crosses Lingmoor before descending to Blea Tarn and then returning via Great Langdale. There are great opportunities for photography; from the snake like wall running across Lingmoor, the Langdale Pikes and reflections in the lake at Blea Tarn, plus the rural scenery in Great Langdale on the return leg.

Walking Little Langdale and Black Fell Circular

Walker
Little Langdale and Black Fell Circular
↔11.81 km ↗+372 m ↘-376 m ◔4h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
A varied walk taking in woodland, a quarry, farmland, the open fell side and finishing beside a river with a waterfall and then the lake side at Elterwater.

Walking Loughrigg Tarn and Loughrigg Fell from Elterwater

Walker
Loughrigg Tarn and Loughrigg Fell from Elterwater
↔6.80 km ↗+292 m ↘-289 m ◔2h 45 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
This is a short walk with a lot of interest. Despite it not tackling any of the major Lakeland summits the views over Loughrigg Tarn are excellent and the panorama from Loughrigg Fell is one of the best. The descent through the arboretum of High Close and Low Wood maintains the interest. This is a great walk for a half day, perhaps when it has rained and then has started to brighten up.

Walking YHA hopping in The Lake District - YHA Langdale to YHA Black Sail

Association or club
YHA hopping in The Lake District - YHA Langdale to YHA Black Sail
↔21.33 km ↗+1,495 m ↘-1,389 m ◔10h 20 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
The YHA is a great institution and I guess most fell walkers have stayed at a hostel at some time in their lives. Funny how they were created "to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them on their travels". Here's a collection of routes starting or finishing at a YHA in The Lakes. Along the way are 8 Wainwrights and 3 tarns.

Walking YHA hopping in The Lake District - YHA Langdale to YHA Hawkshead

Association or club
↔15.11 km ↗+315 m ↘-412 m ◔5h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
The YHA is a great institution and I guess most fell walkers have stayed at a hostel at some time in their lives. Funny how they were created "to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them on their travels". Here's a collection of routes starting or finishing at a YHA in The Lakes. Along the way are 1 Wainwright, 1 tarn and 1 pub.

Walking YHA Hopping in the Lake District - YHA Langdale to YHA Coniston Holly How

Association or club
↔19.62 km ↗+831 m ↘-931 m ◔8h 00 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Lakes (Westmorland and Furness)
This is a varied walk with a couple of fells to climb but nothing really difficult. Take care of yourself and look out for wildlife along the way. Just enjoy the journey and make the most of the moment. Along the way are 2 Wainwrights, 2 tarns, 2 pubs and a lake.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.