Friday 8 January 2010

A walk through Great Langdale with an unusual start

Charming Elterwater village lies at the entrance to Great Langdale valley. The cottages were built to house the many men, and their families, who worked the slate quarries around the village. Today, some of these cottages, with pretty gardens and roses round the doors, house visitors on holiday. Through the village flows the lively Great Langdale Beck and on its north side, once stood a gunpowder works, opened by the quarry owners in 1824. Today it is a time-share complex bringing more visitors to the village.


1. From the car park go left over Elterwater bridge and walk right, beside glorious Great Langdale Beck. Look out for the signed path, right, which takes you down to the side of the tumbling water, passing vast heaps of slate waste on your left. Continue on to cross the footbridge over the beck. Walk left past Wainwrights Inn, named after earlier builders of wooden wagons that carried the slate. A short distance along go left again on a signed track behind a walled garden. At the tarmacked road, bear right to Langdale road, which you cross and turn left. Almost immediately walk, right, up a minor road to where it bends towards the church. Here go left to a gate and a signposted footpath.


2. Stroll the path, which is completely overshadowed by a huge retaining wall, holding back vast mounds of slate waste. The path soon leads through the bottom of an enormous disused quarry, the way signed with white arrows painted on boulders. It passes great caverns, cut into massive rock faces, and continues along a lengthy ‘bank’ of slate. The way heads on, twisting and winding round crags on paths established by quarrymen. The way then ascends a winding slate ‘staircase’, which takes you up and up on to green sward, high above the quarry, where you will be amazed at the change of scene. Go ahead along a wide green sward, behind a row of cottages. Before the delightful path begins to descend to the road, climb right, beyond a stream and a large outcrop, until you reach a small waterfall.
3. Here enjoy a splendid view of the Pikes and then walk left on a narrow path through bracken, using a pecked (black dots and dashes) path seen on the OS map. Carry on over a hillock, then below a huge natural tumble of slate to reach a wall climbing the slopes. Follow the path, tucked up beside the wall, on your left, which continues traversing the fell until it turns down left. From here there is a perfect view of the Langdale Valley. In a few steps descend, half-right, to gate at the right end of a fence. Go through and follow the steepish path, parallel with the wall on your right, to reach the valley road, just before Harry Place.


4. Stride right to take the second left turn, a wide reinforced track through the lovely valley, until it decants you into a car park opposite the entrance to New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. If after your challenging walk through the quarry and over the slopes, you need a break, walk up the track to the hotel for a stop at the Walkers Café on the right. Then return to the road, walk right and very soon, left, to stroll a wide track, the Cumbria Way, that leads across the valley floor, over Great Langdale Beck and continues to a gate on the left of Side House. Beyond, turn left, walk the track to go through a gap in the wall and then a kissing gate, before starting your steady ascent of the pitched path that leads you up, and away from the beck, to a gap in the wall.
5. Step across the stream, which hurries down the steep slopes of Lingmoor, that rears up to your right. Carry on along the path, rough in places, with the wall to your left. Stroll on until you reach a signpost. Bear left to pass in front of pretty Oak Howe cottage and continue towards the river. Do not cross the footbridge but walk right along a good track, with the beck hurrying on its way, to your left. Cross the next bridge, New Bridge, constructed in 1818, and follow the track beyond. Just before the track reaches the road at Chapel Stile, follow a pleasing walled way, to pass between dwellings and go on to the tarmacked road, where you turned right almost at the outset of your walk.


6. Carry on ahead along the unmade way to wind round with the track to join the road. Walk right to pass Wainwrights and then cross the footbridge, the gate often hidden by parked cars in the lower car park of the inn. Then retrace your outward steps to Elterwater.

Practicals
  • Start/Finish: National Trust car park in the centre of the village, where members can park for free, grid ref 329047. Don’t forget your membership card. If this is full, park on the common above the village, grid ref 329051, where the hard standing is free (at present) and then descend to the centre of the village (add on 1/2 mile to your walk).
  • Distance: 6miles/9.5km
  • Time: 3-4 hours
  • Height gain: 460ft/140m
  • Terrain: Exciting trail through quarry; some good tracks and paths; wonderful views (5381 and 5376). Suitable for most walkers.
  • Refreshments: Walkers Café, New Dungeon Ghyll. Wainwrights Inn, Chapel Stile
  • Maps: OS Explorers OL 6 and 7 Landranger 90



View Larger Map

For more photos, see "A walk through Great Langdage with an unusual start" on Flickr.

If you enjoyed this blog post, find more walks by Mary Welsh either by clicking through to take a look at A list of walks in the Lake District or use the search bar in the top left hand of your screen.

Please read Mary Welsh's Golden Rules for good, safe walking before setting out.