Great country walks: Great Langdale, the Lake District

Category Moderate
Distance 8.4 miles/14km
Typical duration 4 hours 30 minutes
Start and finish The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, Great Langdale
Map OS Landranger 90
Step-by-step details and maps ramblers.org.uk/greatlangdale

In a nutshell

This circular route through the Langdale valley in the Lake District National Park offers glorious mountain views, and all without too much serious exertion. Sticking to low levels, you meander along tracks, paths and across pretty bridges while admiring the peaks and scattering of mountain lakes, known as tarns. The final stretch is particularly spectacular, along the Cumbria Way’s much-loved route in the shadow of some of England’s finest mountain scenery.

Why it’s special

The route starts and ends at The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, in a stunning spot in the valley, and home to the Hikers Bar, which has long been a popular watering-hole for ramblers. You can spend hours here soaking up the views and watching climbers scrambling up the crags behind the hotel, so it’s best saved until the end of your walk.

In many ways this is a perfect walk, taking in some of the UK’s most stunning and most photographed scenery. Heading east from the hotel past a campsite you pass the woodland-fringed Blea Tarn, which has a magnificent view from the far end across the tarn towards the Langdales. The route leads past Bleamoss Beck, then winds its way through the bracken landscape before crossing a grassy hollow to the foot of Wrynose Pass.

You’ll pass remote farms and cottages and cross ancient bridges, with the ever-changing views of the peaks upping the wow factor. Continuing through Elterwater quarry and over Great Langdale Beck, you eventually return to your starting point where a welcome pint awaits. Langdale and Elterwater were centres of the Lakeland slate industry and Elterwater is still a working quarry. Though the route is relatively easy it can be very boggy beyond Blea Tarn, so wear appropriate footwear.

Reward yourself

The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel has welcomed walkers and climbers for 300 years. Originally a farm and inn, many famous climbers have stayed here and it’s the perfect place to swap stories and tips for hiking. The bar serves lunch and dinner and the garden’s a beautiful spot when the weather’s good. You could base yourself at the hotel and explore at your leisure.

Get there

Windermere train station is eight miles from Great Langdale. By road from Ambleside, follow signs for Coniston on the A593 to Clappersgate, and then signs to the B5343 to Langdale. Continue through Elterwater and Chapel Stile and on to the hotel.