Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell)
Start Ambleside
Getting here Parking: Ambleside, Low Fold (paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 505, 516 and 555 stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 180 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 37% around the 7.8 km mark. Hands for a few steps: the last rocks to Wansfell Pike's top (about km 7.3).
Before you choose
- The climb over Wansfell is open and exposed to wind on top.
- A steep, stepped descent from Wansfell Pike into Ambleside — jarring on tired knees.
- Lanes and a road crossing in Troutbeck; livestock on the fell.
- Check the tea room’s opening before relying on it.
Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Wansfell Pike
Easy 77%Moderate 13%Hard 6%Severe 4%
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Wansfell Pike (7.3 km, 529 m)
Depart Ambleside by taking the undulating, root-laced trails through the beautiful canopy of Skelghyll Woods, eventually breaking out into open pasture to drop down into the historic village of Troutbeck. After a well-earned stop at the tea room, begin the long, sustained ascent up the walled track of Nanny Lane. The lane eventually spits you out onto the open fell, leaving a final, grassy pull up the eastern ridge to the rocky outcrop and summit of Wansfell Pike.
WaypointsAmbleside (start), Skelghyll Woods, Troutbeck village (Tea Room), Nanny Lane, Wansfell Pike summit (484m).
Decision pointSkelghyll Woods is well-waymarked. Troutbeck village serves as a distinctive mid-point. Once on Nanny Lane, the high stone walls physically funnel you upwards onto the fell, acting as a handrail. From the top of the lane, the eroded path leads to the summit outcrop ahead.
Easy to get wrongThe woodland paths can be muddy and slippery after rain, but the real physical test begins at Troutbeck. Nanny Lane is a relentless, unyielding trudge; high drystone walls on either side block the breeze and trap the heat mercilessly on a warm summer day. The final pull to the summit from the top of the lane traverses slightly boggy ground before transitioning to a short, blocky scramble up the final summit rocks.
If you need to get offThe map shows the line on lanes to about 0.8 km and through Troutbeck from about 4.2 to 5.1 km; between them, through Skelghyll Woods, the way off is back or on, up to about 1.7 km. Up Nanny Lane it is back down to Troutbeck, and from the top of Wansfell Pike it is on, down the walk's own line, where at about 8.4 km a footpath reaches Stock Ghyll Lane in about 120 m, about 1.2 km from the top; not walked for this guide.
Wansfell Pike → Finish (2.6 km, 18 m)
Leave the summit of Wansfell Pike and immediately commit to the punishingly steep, direct descent west toward Ambleside. The route plunges down a seemingly endless flight of pitched stone steps, cutting straight through the steep fields and bracken before depositing you in the woods above Stockghyll Force.
WaypointsWansfell Pike summit, western pitched-stone descent, Stockghyll Force (vicinity), Ambleside (finish).
Decision pointThe descent path is a massive, heavily eroded white scar cutting directly down the hillside, aiming straight for the rooftops of Ambleside in the valley below.
Easy to get wrongThis descent is notoriously harsh on the knees. The heavily engineered pitched-stone staircase is relentless and becomes highly polished and greasy when wet. In winter, surface water frequently runs directly down this path, turning it into a slick, icy chute. The combination of steep gradients and late-day fatigue makes this a prime spot for slips and rolled ankles; walking poles are highly recommended to absorb the impact.
If you need to get offFollow the route's own line to the finish; do not stray sideways into the steeper, pathless bracken on either flank.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked
Summits bagged (1)
- 1Wansfell Pike484 m
More about this walk
A hill day rather than a stroll (547 m ascent) — it tops Wansfell Pike — with a tea-room before the climb; check the stiles if you bring a dog.
Conditions and timing
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Waterhead from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 7% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
If the parking is full
If the first one is full, these overlap least in our model. The 3 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.
- Ambleside, King Street (paid) — a 500 m walk to the start
- Sour Howes, west (layby) — joins the loop at about km 5 of 9.9: a 600 m walk to the line, climbing about 40 m, and you walk the round from there
- Wansfell Pike car park (free) — joins the loop at about km 1 of 9.9: a 400 m walk to the line, climbing about 70 m, and you walk the round from there
- By bus: buses stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 180 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Ambleside, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Ambleside on a weekday: 22:43 towards Grasmere (555), 20:29 towards Keswick (555). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 505, 516 and 555 stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 180 m walk from this start. This walk starts and ends in Ambleside, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Ambleside: the 555 towards Grasmere at 22:43 Monday to Saturday, 19:09 on Sunday; the 555 towards Keswick at 20:29 Monday to Saturday, 18:15 on Sunday. From Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre; checked against the operator's timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 505 passes this route at 0.0 km (Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, 30 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 508 at 4.6 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Low Fold car park, beside the start: pay and display, from £2.60 for an hour to £10.60 all day. 20 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Westmorland and Furness Council, Low Fold car park, checked 12 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 40 m from the start. 39 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments Four Seasons Terrace Café (about 140 m) and The Gardeners Retreat Restaurant (about 155 m) are the nearest mapped, with more in the town. Opening hours are not recorded here. 139 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Wansfell is open and exposed to wind on top, and the stepped descent into Ambleside is jarring on tired knees. Check the tea room’s opening before you rely on it. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 2 October 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: a shelter.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Steepness
Five independent axes, not one score. This route has not been walked yet, so none of them was set on the ground: three of the five are our judgement from the map and the route’s record, and the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wansfell Pike | 7.3 km | 529 m | 2:21–3:07 |
| Finish | 9.9 km | 547 m | 2:53–3:51 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~38% drop over 250 m around the 7.7 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 37% around the 7.8 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A ladder stile at 8.4 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 25 September 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the last rocks to Wansfell Pike's top (about km 7.3). Ground underfoot: Moderate – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Fell path plus village lanes; muddy in places.
- Drops and exposed ground: Easy – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. No real exposure.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 15 gates · 3 kissing gates · 1 ladder stile · 1 step-over stile
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 25 September 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Ambleside or Grasmere: 11 places
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Ambleside — 0.6 km from this start
- Walks from Stock Ghyll Force — 1.0 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
