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7.6 km · ~164 m ascent · ~1.5–2.5 h · loop

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Elterwater & Skelwith Force

7.6 km
Distance
~1.5–2.5 h
Typical time
~164 m
Ascent
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 7.6 km
Ascent ~164 m
Descent ~165 m
Time ~1.5–2.5 h
Type Loop
Start Elterwater village (NT car park)
A riverside walk from pretty Elterwater past Skelwith Force to the reedy shores of Elter Water, with the Langdale Pikes filling the skyline — gentle, varied and largely level.
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

🧭 The automated detail on this page — distance, climb, pacing and a first-pass difficulty read — is live. Hand-written field notes are being added.

Difficulty profile

LengthEasy7.6 km — a short outing.
SteepnessEasySteepest sustained pull about 15% around the 7.0 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationModerateClear line, hard to stray. desk assessment — not field-verified
ExposureNot assessedExposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) can’t be judged from gradient data alone, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the route is editorially assessed or walked.

Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.

☀️ 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.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile
Elevation profile Rises from about 57 m to 175 m over 7.6 km, with the summits marked in order. 175 m 57 m 0 km 7.6 km
~164 m
Total ascent
175 m
High point
64 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 7.6 km with around 164 m of ascent. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Dog gate by the stile
Buggy
Buggy: in part
Knees
Gentle descent
  • Dog: 1 ladder/squeeze stile(s), but a dog gate alongside — most dogs get round.
  • Buggy: Only part of this suits a buggy.
  • Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.

On the line: 19 gates · 6 kissing gates · 2 dog gates · 1 squeeze stile · 3 step-over stiles · 1 stile (type unmapped)

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Finish7.6 km164 m1:48–2:23

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.

The walk, stage by stage

Elterwater village (NT car park) → Finish (7.6 km, 164 m)

Climb of about 164 m over 7.6 km (around 2% average).

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (0)

    🅿️ Getting there & parking

    Elterwater (NT, paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
    For Lingmoor Fell, Silver How and lower Langdale.
    Directions
    White Moss (paid) — 2.6 km from the start (straight line)
    Between Rydal and Grasmere — Loughrigg, Silver How, Heron Pike.
    Directions

    Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

    💧 Water, shelter & getting away

    🛖 map (17 m)🚺 map (127 m)🚌 The Britannia Inn (4 m)⛺ Elterwater Hostel (121 m)

    On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

    🚌 Buses

    Stagecoach 516 “Langdale Rambler”
    Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Elterwater – New Dungeon Ghyll – Old Dungeon Ghyll
    Catch it from: Ambleside · Windermere (change at Ambleside)
    The Langdale bus — Pikes, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco all walkable from the Dungeon Ghyll stops. Seasonal frequency varies; check before relying on the last bus back.
    Stagecoach 555
    Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
    Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
    Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.

    Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

    ⚠️ Safety & conditions

    Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

    Make it easier or harder

    Easier and harder options coming soon.

    ⬇️ Download

    Download GPX

    GPX track for your GPS or phone.

    Appears in these collections
    Easy walks