Elterwater, the lake

Can you "walk around" Elter Water? (the honest answer)

This is the top search, so let's be straight about it: you don't walk right round the lake's shore — much of it is marshy reedbed and private, with no continuous shoreline path. What people actually do (and what's lovely) is the Elterwater–Skelwith Bridge path: roughly 1.5 miles each way, stile-free, on a stone surface the National Park calls bumpy for wheelchairs and pushchairs, along the River Brathay from Elterwater village, passing the lake's edge and the Langdale Pikes view, down to Skelwith Bridge and the waterfall, then back. So when the searches ask "can you walk around Elterwater?", the honest answer is: you walk from the village to Skelwith and back, not a loop of the water. For a round walk instead, our Elterwater & Skelwith Force route Planned is a 7.6 km loop.

Skelwith Force & the Langdale Pikes

Two highlights make the walk: the Langdale Pikes reflection — on a still day the spiky skyline of Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle mirrored in the lake is a classic Lakeland view — and Skelwith Force, a short but powerful waterfall on the River Brathay near Skelwith Bridge (not high, but a thunderous volume of water after rain). The path passes both, on good level ground.

"Lake of the swans"

Elter Water's name comes from the Old Norse for "swan lake," and it lives up to it: whooper swans migrate here to winter on the lake, alongside the resident waterfowl among the reeds. It's a quiet, wildlife-rich little water — the reedbeds that stop you walking the shore are exactly what make it such good bird habitat.

The fells & the valley

Elter Water sits at the mouth of Great Langdale, gateway to dramatic fells. Loughrigg Fell rises just to the east (its terraces link through to Grasmere and Rydal), and the Langdale Pikes themselves — Harrison Stickle, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark — fill the head of the valley a few miles up the B5343. The village is also handy for the old slate-quarry sights (Cathedral Cavern). Check the live conditions; the Fells & walks nearby box below lists the closest summits.

Getting there & parking

Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Windermere (10 km away) and Staveley (15 km away); the 516 stops at Elterwater, opposite The Britannia Inn, 0.9 km from here in a straight line. The last bus from that stop: Towards Dungeon Ghyll Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (516): Monday to Friday 19:52; Saturday 22:12; Sunday 19:52. Signed off against the operator’s timetable on 12 September; that is the day we checked, so check the operator’s timetable (opens in new tab) for your date. The bus map has every stop we hold.

Elterwater village is on the B5343 Great Langdale road, a few miles west of Ambleside (turn off the A593 near Skelwith Bridge). You can also come by the seasonal 516 Langdale Rambler bus from Ambleside. The Britannia Inn in the village is the obvious refreshment stop; we know of no car park for the inn itself, so use the NT car park for the walk.

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Elterwater, the lake

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Where to stay & practical

Stay in Elterwater or nearby Chapel Stile (inns, B&Bs, a YHA and campsites in the Langdale valley) or base in Ambleside a short drive east. Elter Water is a gentle riverside walk to pair with a bigger Langdale Pikes day — or simply an easy stroll to a waterfall, with the Langdale Pikes view thrown in. Just remember: it's the village to Skelwith and back, not a lap of the lake.