Elterwater: Circular Walk.

Please note this walk was completed by Alex, James and their 1 year old little girl.

Distance

4 miles

Why we love this walk

A lovely walk with fantastic views of Great Langdale, starting and ending in the beautiful village of Elterwater. 

We did this walk with our toddler in a hiking backpack. There is a perfect flat section just beyond the half–way point which was great for her to stretch her legs, splash in muddy puddles, collect sticks and stones and wave at sheep! So the walk felt like just the right balance for our little family. The terrain is pretty easy–going so bigger kids who are used to walking this sort of distance should have no trouble.

There were lots of interesting things for our little one to look at all the way along the route – from a working quarry with noisy diggers, to huge fallen trees, mini waterfalls, and streams running under the footpath. There’s a great stone bridge for pooh sticks as you approach the village of Chapel Stile.

Note: There are some sections on a very quiet road at the start and end. 

Parking

We used the free car park just a little up the hill from the village centre, on the road from Grasmere. There’s also a National Trust car park in the centre of the village (LA22 9HU).

hiking household

The Route:

The walk took us from the centre of Eltermere village up a quiet road, through a farmyard, and into a section of woodland footpath. As we emerged from the woods, we were greeted with beautiful views of Great Langdale in the distance. A mild descent took us down into the valley and along the banks of the Great Langdale Beck. At the end of this footpath we crossed an old stone bridge and followed the path along to the village of Chapel Stile. Just beyond Wainwrights Inn, we followed a footpath to the right, signposted ‘Elterwater’ to finish our loop.

See Strava map for the full route.

hiking household