Today’s Walk
Strenuous Leader : Jimmy Need Distance : 10.00 miles
We make our way from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge via the Cumbria Way. If we have some rain we may see the waterfalls. From here we make our way to Loughrigg Tarn followed by Red Bank which should be a lovely spot for lunch.Then we go to Grasmere lake shore and from here to Hungstile Crag and finally back to Elterwater.
Moderate Leader : Peter Denton Distance : 7.80 miles
We start our walk at the National Trust Car Park walking along the beck on to the newly restored cobbled path and skirt round the north side of Elter Water below the Lansdale Road, with fantastic views behind to the Langdale Pikes. When we reach the bridge at Force How we will get to see the falls then cross the bridge and head for Park House through the farm yard, heading for Low Colwith Water Falls, and next head down to Hodge Close. After that, we head up to Moss Ring Wood and up to Little Langdale. We are now on the last leg back to Elterwater for a well-earned cuppa or whatever takes your fancy.
Leisurely Leader : Steve Balenski Distance : 6.50 miles
We start by heading south along Coniston Road to the Elterwater Hotel where we turn off on a gradually steepening rocky lane towards Little Langdale where there are superb views of the Coniston Fells. We continue towards Stang End then eastwards towards to Skelwith Bridge where there is a café and toilets. We finish by walking on a flat footpath back to Elterwater by the side of Elter Water lake.
Easy Leader : no leader Distance :
Jackie may step in.
Notes On The Area
Standing at the entrance to Langdale, and with the craggy Langdale Pikes as a backdrop, Elterwater is a cluster of attractive cottages, shops and an inn. The name of the village is said to mean ‘Swan Lake’ in Norse, and swans do indeed grace the nearby Elter Water from time to time. Surrounded by waterfalls, volcanic crags and tree-clad slopes, the village is largely built of the attractive, local grey-green stone, and centres on a small green with an ancient maple tree. The village was once the focus of a thriving charcoal burning industry that used Juniper wood, which was especially suitable for making gunpowder. The manufacture of gunpowder came to be an important Lakeland industry during the 18th century, and the gunpowder works at Elterwater did not close until the early 20th century.
Skelwith Bridge stands at an ancient crossing point of the River Brathay, near which today’s main road forks to enter Great Langdale or to turn for Coniston. Just upstream of the village, which boasts a small slate business at Kirkstone Galleries, the river forms a number of attractive cascades, Skelwith Force. The village of Skelwith Bridge was the home of Doris and Muriel Howe, novelists who wrote both under their own names and under the joint pseudonym ‘Newlyn Nash’. They wrote more than seventy romantic and mystery novels, many set in Lakeland.