Exploring Elterwater | Miles without Stiles 11
Exploring the Lake District is one of my favourite pass times. It gives me the time to clear my head and the children absolutely love being outdoors. Easy, flat walks are the best when you're out and about with children which makes Elterwater an ideal spot. Read on to discover a little about this walk from how to get there and what's available once you do.
About Elterwater
Elterwater is a small lake in Great Langdale, just to the South-East of a small village of the same name.
Did you know? Elterwater Village is 3/4 holiday cottages, with only 1/4 permanently occupied.
From Elterwater, River Brathay provides outflow, flowing south to Ambleside and beyond. The name means Lake of the Swan, and just like many of the other lakes we have visited it has a lovely walk around, and stunning views from the lakeshore.
Where can I park?
There is National Trust parking available at the start of the walk, however it is is extremely limited. You may find if you arrive later in the day that the car park is full.
Further out in the village itself there is more parking available which you could try, however this will mean walking further.
To find the car park, use this post code: LA22 9HP
About the walk
The full route from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge is around 2.5 miles and will take a couple of hours to complete. The start of the walk follows Great Langdale Beck, then moves through the valley, though woodland, alongside the lake and beyond.
The children loved exploring the woodland, as well as climbing the huge boulders alongside the path and of course trees too. The highlight for them was seeing a heron on a small beach to the right of the path, fishing in Great Langdale Beck - obviously a great spot to catch its lunch as it refused to fly off despite my children not being the quietest of beings.
We had to be home for some appointments in the afternoon so we stopped once we reached the beach area on the Elterwater lakeshore and turned to head back to the car. If you continue on past the lakeshore, you can visit Skelwith Falls (N.B. this isn't an accessible part of the walk!) Skelwith Bridge and more.
Is it suitable for children?
The route is suitable for most everyone - whilst we were there we saw bike riders, wheelchair users, dog walkers, parents with pushchairs and more! We all really enjoyed the walk, even Munchkin did a bit of it out of the carrier.
Are there any facilities close by?
In Elterwater you will find public toilets (N.B. these have a 20p charge!) as well as pub, and café too. Once you make it to Skelwith Bridge you can check out the café there, or alternatively visit the small tea room at Elterwater Park Guest House (this is around half way along the longer route, should you choose to explore it).
A note from Naomi
Why am I writing about accessible walks?
I started this series when I was pregnant with Peanut as I was restricted to days out which were accessible for Munchkin's pushchair and my crutches. Some of these walks are ones we have found ourselves with a bit of local research, others are included in the Lake District National Park's 48 Miles without Stiles routes.
What is Miles without Stiles?
Miles without Stiles is a collection of accessible routes across the Lake District National Park suitable for people with limited mobility; including wheelchair users, families with pushchairs, and more. For more accessible walks in this collection, click here. Alternatively, here are a few of my most recent posts:
I hope you enjoyed checking out Elterwater with me… be sure to get in touch to let me know how you get on when you take a trip to visit. I’m sure it won't be long before I'm back here sharing about more accessible walks we explore here in the Lake District.
For more blog posts about exploring the beautiful places we have on our Cumbrian doorstep check out my Lake District category here. Have you found somewhere amazing to visit in the Lake District? We love to explore new spots, so feel free to share in the comments below.
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Check out the beautiful Buttermere Circular, with all the info you need to plan your own visit.