Plan your walk |
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DISTANCE: 4½ miles (7.2km) TIME: 2¼ hours START/END: NY328047 The bridge in Elterwater village TERRAIN: Moderate; some mud after rain MAPS: |
The walk starts at the bridge in Elterwater village. If the small National Trust car park here is full, there is another car park on the common to the north of the village. Walk south from the bridge on the minor road towards Little Langdale.
Continue on the road past the Eltermere Inn
Just after passing the works away to your right, turn right through a gate, signposted ‘Colwith’, and then immediately afterwards turn left onto a small path. This goes through the wood, parallel to the road and eventually brings you back onto the road. Turn right and continue to a road junction.
At the road junction, go left and down to the bridge.
Turn right immediately after crossing the road bridge, and follow a small path beside the stream. This takes you up to Colwith Force.
Colwith Force. This pretty fall on the Brathay is about 46ft (14m) in height. The Brathay rises in the Wrynose Pass and until the Local Government reorganisation in 1974, was the boundary between Westmorland to the north, and Lancashire to the south.
Retrace your steps to the road, turn right and then after another 50yds (45m) turn left through a gate, signposted ‘Skelwith Bridge’. Follow this path across a field, then climb the steps up a wooded bank and into another field.
Keep to the right of the farmhouse, up the steps and through the stile.
Note the lettering on the stone in the barn wall. This was an apprentice’s slab which they could use to develop their skills.
Go through the farmyard and continue on the track, bearing right.
About 100yds (90m) after passing Park House, ignore the track going up to the road, and bear left onto the path which goes into the wood.
Just before you come to a house, take the left fork at a path junction, signposted ‘Skelwith avoiding A591’. Follow this round and over the footbridge above Skelwith Force.
After crossing the bridge, the main route goes left. Deviate to the right to visit Skelwith Force, the slate showrooms and cafe.
Showrooms of slate quarry. The slate is formed from volcanic dust laid down in water millions of years ago. It was then subject to enormous pressures. The ‘ripple’ effect in some of the slate shows well especially when the slate has been sawed and polished. The slate is sawn here with circular saws set with diamond cutters and is much sought after, all over the world, very often as a facing for prestigious buildings. Do not assume that slate lying around here is waste.
Continue on the deviation to visit the cafe and Skelwith Bridge and then retrace your route past the waterfall and continue on this path on the right bank of the river.
Skelwith Force is not high, but through this narrow gap flows all the water from Great and Little Langdale. ‘Force’ is certainly the right word.
Continue on the path through the fields and into the wood.
Just before going into the wood there is a classic viewpoint over the reeds and water to the Langdale Pikes.
At the end of the wood, continue on the riverside path (National Trust property) back to the starting point.
