Walk: Lake District - Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn
- Beverley Warrington
- Mar 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 16
On Saturday 8th March 2025 there was GLORIOUS weather in the Lake District and a welcome break from the Spring cold! The car said 17 degrees celsius. It was beautiful, and we went for a long walk - although, to be honest, it seemed that most people were out at the same time. We're lucky to live about an hour from the Lakes, but to get any parking on a beautiful day, we have to leave early.
I am fully supportive of the benefits of being out in nature, and everyone should go and enjoy! However, my personal preference is for places with no other people. It sounds selfish! Quiet places allow me to use my senses better to feel more connected with the what I'm experiencing. It means that, usually, we look out for places that are less popular or more remote to take ourselves out. The problem is that to get to the remote places, you have to know where you're going. So, we're slowly exploring more of the Lakes to get to find all of those nooks and crannies.
This was our first visit to Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn. It's a beautiful walk, full of varied landscapes and walking surfaces. Much of it was quite flat, or along well-established paths and roads. This is an excellent starter-walk for those of you who don't feel as comfortable going off-road, but would like to go a little bit further.
We passed all the families, skipping past them to make some headway on the path. However, we kept stopping to take photos. The landscape varied as we walked along the path. We passed families and couples of all ages, navigating our way past bikes and prams. Everyone was walking at their own pace, thoroughly enjoying being outside and with loved ones.
We stopped to admire a rock with four different types of moss on it, marvelling at the differences and intricacies of the structures.
Just Past the Trevor Woodburn Bridge and Skelwith Force is a bakery and shop that I would like to recommend 'Chesters by the River' - except that we didn't stop as the queue was too long on such a beautiful day. The cakes and pies looked AMAZING! We'll be back there one day!
Having crossed the road, our walk carried on through the forest lodge park to Loughrigg Tarn.
Just before we got to the Tarn, we passed a farm with an enterprising idea - selling cold drinks and ice creams. We stopped for an ice cream, and to drink in the view. Bliss!
You can get to Loughrigg Tarn more directly than this walk, if accessibility is important to you. There is a wide bridleway which has been recently resurfaced by the National Trust. The Lake District National Park website features this part of our walk on their '41 miles without stiles' section. The bridleways are accessible to mobility scooters - please reference their website for more details: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/walking/mileswithoutstiles/mws41
The tarn is a well known spot for wild swimming, and is good for beginners - just make sure you always swim with someone else, and keep safe. On this particular day it looked like Heaven and I was sorely tempted by a dip!
Our walk took us past National Trust woodland - and on a different day, and if I were by myself, I would have stopped and lingetred, taking in the peace.
If you're a fan of Youth Hostelling, YHA Langdale is right next to the wood on a peaceful lane. It;s the perfect base to carry on over the hills to Grasdmere, famous for it's links with Wordsworth and it's fgingerbread. I was particularly taken by the bookshop on the corner - Sam Read, established 1887.
The last bit of our journey took us back down to Elterwater and the car. Before that, there was time for a little drone action..... the recording would have been amazing.... had my husband actally pressed 'record'. Doh.
And for those for whom facilities are essential.... the Lakes helpfully provides!
I would highly recommend this walk - there was such a variety of terrain, and so much to see. There are numerous options if you would like to pick and choose parts, depending on what you're looking for. Both the walk from Elterwater to the bakery, and a more direct route to Loughrigg Tarn are good for accessibility.
Word of advice: Before you travel, check the roads, parking and access for your perfect trip.
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