Little Langdale and Black Fell Circular

Park in the Elterwater village car park or if it is full one of the alternative parking spots around the village but if using them please park sensibly and do not cause any obstruction.

(S/E) Walk out of the car park and onto the road. Turn left and cross the bridge, continue on the road (take care with traffic) to a junction with a minor road on the right.

(1) Turn right and follow the minor road it soon bends to the right but continue straight ahead up a stony track, this will lead you gradually upwards with a wood on your right. Go through a gate and leave the woodland behind, continue along the track and after a short distance look for a gate on the left into a field.

(2) Turn left, go through the gate and into the field. Follow the path across the field to the bottom left hand corner. Cross through a gate into the next field and follow the path gently downhill with the field boundary on your right. Go through a gate into Wilson Place Farm, walk through the farm to the road.

(3) Turn right and walk along the road, passing the Three Shires Inn public house. Look out a junction with a minor road on the left.

(4) Cross over, turn left and follow the minor road gently downhill. It passes a few cottages and arrives at a ford and footbridge.

(5) Cross the bridge, turn right and walk along the path with the river on your right until you come to a ramp on your left leading up and back to a raised flat platform on the spoil heap. Cross a stile and go up the ramp to the entrance to Cathedral Quarries.

(6) The quarry is entered via a tunnel which emerges in a cave supported by a single, vast column of rock and illuminated by a higher opening. This dramatic location has been used as a film set occasionally. Once you have explored the quarry (see useful information for safety), backtrack to (5)

(5) From the ford, take the road leading away from the river (south) and make sure you follow the left hand , tarmac split, rather than the track on the right. This leads around to the left and ascends to farm buildings at Stang End. Ignore the path on the left at the start of the buildings, and the track on the right after the first building; instead carry straight on along the narrow road, this will lead in an easterly direction passing High Park (tea garden if open). Continue along the road, with woodland on the left to a junction with the A593.

(7) Take care on the road as it is much busier than the narrow road you have just been on. Cross over and turn left. Walk along for a short way to a path on the right which slants up and runs parallel with the road at first.
This track then curves to the right and back on itself, always ascending. Go through gates and arrive just above Low Arnside Farm. Do not drop down to the farm, but remain on the higher left hand track which crosses the fell side. Before you reach the gate in the next fell wall, a feint path leads up on the left to ascend the fell side to a wall and gate. This is not obvious and there are a few minor animal tracks, but if you head in an easterly direction you will find the gate.

(8) Go through the gate. This section of fell has many minor paths crisscrossing it. The most direct way (as shown) is to take the path ahead of you up and over the small hillock directly in front of you. This will go up and then down to meet another track. At this track turn right, below a corner in the stone wall above you. You can walk directly up to this corner or alternatively (as shown) follow the path which ascends diagonally uphill to meet a more prominent path, then turn left and follow this up to the top of Black Crag 322m.

(9) Enjoy the views from the top of Black Crag, then head north and cross over a stile onto the other side of the wall. Follow the path northwards over Great Cobble, this descends, to pass a minor tarn and then it curves to follow a stream downhill with a wall on the right. The path veers to the right, away from the stream bed and passes through a gap in the wall. It descends the fell and passes into woodland before joining a minor road.

(10) At the road, turn right and walk for a short distance, keeping a look out for a path on the left, at the edge of the wood. Turn left and take the path down through the wood to a junction with another minor road at a sharp bend. Turn left and follow the minor road to a junction with the A593 at Skelwith Bridge. Walk straight ahead and cross the bridge, immediately after crossing look for a path on the left hand side.

(11) Cross over the path and follow this, passing some houses and then the stone works where they cut and polish the local slate. The path then runs alongside the river to pass the pretty Skelwith Force, where a minor path turns off on the left to the waterfall. (Take care as the rocks can be slippery) The main riverside path continues alongside the river to the shores of Elterwater. Keep on following the path, through some woods and then beside the Great Langdale Beck back to the car park at Elterwater. (S/E)

Cathedral Quarry
This next bit is optional and is a more exciting exploration of the quarry; it is also included in the walks "Lingmoor low level circular" and "A lake, two waterfalls and Cathedral Quarry. A low level lakeland walk".-

Behind the huge column of rock is an opening which leads into another section of the quarry that is open to the sky. A short scramble leads up. When you arrive at the top of the scramble, straight ahead of you and down there is another tunnel into the rock. You will need a head torch or torch for this. Enter the tunnel and after a while, it will come to a widening where another branch goes off on the right. This right hand branch ends in a metal fence (do not cross it) so backtrack your steps and go right, this tunnel will bring you out at another raised platform at the end of the Tilberthwaite Valley. Turn left and drop down to the main path/road then turn left along with this until you are at a ford and bridge over the river (5)

IMPORTANT UPDATE 2020. There has been some rockfall in the quarry and the National Trust have taped off the entrance to the tunnel. There are notices warning of the rockfall and until further investigation is made into the stability of the tunnel it is best not to enter. Instead, you can go and look and then scramble back down the way you came or you can follow some steps up and out of the quarry and a path back down to the entrance level.

Sections (7) to (9) It is worth looking on Google Maps in satellite view to see where the minor paths lie to help with navigation on the walk.

There is a tearoom at High Park, but it is not always open. The Three Shire Inn also offer refreshments and the Talbot Bar, just off the bridge at Skelwith Bridge also offer refreshments.

This walk can be muddy in places, particularly after prolonged rain, so wear appropriate footwear. Approach shoes with a good sole would be sufficient in a dry spell. It can be windy on Black Crag so a wind/rainproof is appropriate.

For Sections (7) to (9) It is worth looking on Google Maps in satellite view to see where the minor paths lie to help with navigation on the walk.

There is a lot of variety on this walk, with Cathedral Quarry, the open fell side of Black Crag and the waterfall at Skelwith Force.
Fairly easy walking, some of which is on minor roads, but take care and walk in single file.