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A Short Walk From Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge |
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4th October 2025 |
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Overview |
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| Ascent: |
150 Feet - 46 Metres |
| Wainwrights: |
N/A |
| Visiting: |
Skelwith Bridge |
| Weather: |
A Bright Start Turning Cloudy Mid to Late Morning. Highs of 15°C Lows of 10°C |
| Parking: |
Roadside Parking, Elterwater |
| Area: |
Central & Southern |
| Miles: |
2.8 |
| Walking With: |
David Hall & Calva |
| Ordnance Survey: |
OL4 |
| Time Taken: |
2 Hours 40 Minutes |
| Route: |
Roadside Parking, Elterwater - Elterwater Village - Elter Water - Skelwith Bridge - Elter Water - Elterwater Village - Roadside Parking, Elterwater |
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Parking Details and Map |
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| Nearest Post Code: |
LA22 9QZ |
| Grid Reference: |
Wanthwaite Bottom NY 329 705 Roadside Parking NY 333 047 |
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Map and Photo Gallery |
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| Views over Elterwater village towards Lingmoor Fell with Wetherlam, Black Sails and Swirl How seen left 8:40am 10°C |
| Both David and I had afternoon commitments but we had a spare morning, so we decided to meet up outside Elterwater with no particular route in mind. I arrived to find David already parked up, and I managed to slot my car into the last space directly behind his. It was a beautiful, cool morning, and after spotting low-lying cloud drifting over Elter Water, we quickly decided we'd head for Skelwith Bridge via the lake hoping the cloud didn't lift before we got there. |
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| Views towards Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag and Pavey Ark with Lingmoor Fell seen left. |
| You don't even have to leave the car to get great views of the Langdale Pikes. |
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| We begin the walk by heading into Elterwater village. |
| Noticing low cloud appearing over Wetherlam. |
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| The Britannia Inn, Elterwater. |
| A popular pub for visitors to Elterwater, it's a place I've always wanted to call into, but the timing never seems to work in my favour. It's usually too early in the day like this morning or I'm far too sweaty after a day on the fells to even think about stepping inside. |
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| Views back over Elterwater towards Loughrigg Fell |
| After passing through the village we joined the Cumbrian Way with views of Loughrigg Fell on our left and Elter Water that will eventually flow into Great Langdale Beck over on our right. |
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| A splendid view of Loughrigg Fell from Elter Water. |
| The path was starting to get quite busy with walkers, fell runners and tourists, but it was nice and peaceful when we arrived at Elter Water. We sat down to take in the views while David took out an early lunch for Calva. |
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| Lingmoor Fell and the Langdale Pikes from Elter Water. |
| I asked the duck if he'd mind moving, but he quacked back in a way that sounded suspiciously like "No chance." |
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| Elter Water. |
| Just in case you were wondering that's a male Mallard whose live expectancy is between 5-8 years - its a ducks life. |
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| Elter Water. |
| What a stunning morning to be out. |
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| Belted Galloway calves. |
| At one point we thought we might have to turn back after a herd of Belted Galloway calves blocked the path. The calves stood right across it, shoulder to shoulder, and with mum not far away it didn't feel worth the risk. We paused for a moment, watching their body language, trying to work out whether they were going to shift or whether we'd be retracing our steps. As it turned out, they were well used to people traffic and after a brief stare they drifted aside without a care in the world. |
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| Looking back over Elter Water towards Loughrigg Fell and the Langdale Pikes. |
| It was starting to warm up, so I tied my jacket around my waist which turned out to be more eventful than expected when the knot loosened and the jacket dropped to the ground just as two women were passing. David actually thought the jacket had taken my shorts with it (thankfully they were nice and tight around my waist), and as for what the women thought… well, I'd have asked, but they scuttled off. |
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| Skelwith Bridge from Skelwith Bridge. |
| We soon arrived at Chesters restaurant and grabbed a table before making our way back to Elterwater. It had properly clouded over by now, and it felt like the temperature had dropped a degree or two, but it was nice to sit there for a few moments and people (and dog) watch before heading back. |
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| Cloud advancing on Wetherlam. |
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| Back at Elterwater village. |
| he village was alive with walkers heading out, some solo and others in large groups, yet as always it never felt quite as busy as it actually was. We arrived back at the cars after passing drivers struggling to find a space, then swapped boots for mids and chatted about how a couple of spare hours had turned into a cracking little outing. Nothing grand, just good company, mild autumn air, and a morning well spent before heading home. |
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