Start at The Britannia Inn in the centre of Elterwater With the Britannia Inn on your right go down the road and cross the bridge over Langdale Beck. Turn immediately right on to a hard surfaced footpath alongside the beck. Proceed for 350 yards then look for the footpath on your right, which leads down closer to the river. Follow this stony footpath through the trees to reach a footbridge on your right. Cross the footbridge to join a lane, turn left for 100 yards then turn left on to a stony track (signed Public footpath), just before the hamlet of Chapel Stile. Follow the right hand wall to a T-junction with a farm track. Turn left, passing Thrang Farm and some cottages on your left, to arrive at a small gate. Continue ahead, the path bordered by walls on both sides, to reach a wide track. Turn left along this track and re-cross Langdale Beck in 250 yards. Bear right and continue along the track next to the riverbank. After ¾ mile you arrive at a footbridge on your right, cross this and follow the stony track on the other side to link up with a lane. Turn left, and then left again after 100 yards onto a sign posted by-way (Footpath Dungeon Ghyll). Continue along this path to reach a car park opposite the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. At the lane turn left and after 100 yards turn left through a large farm gate next to a Public footpath sign. Cross the centre of the field, over the beck and continue along the hard track to Side House. From the farmyard bear left of the house to go through a swing gate adjacent to a field gate. Cross over the small beck then turn left and go through a swing gate 150 yards away. Once through the gate bear right (signposted Footpath) and ascend a narrow path along the lower slopes of Lingmoor Fell. After 300 yards you arrive at a swing gate in a stone wall. The path now gradually descends alongside the left hand wall to another gate next to Langdale Beck (which is on your left). Continue along the main footpath, bordered now by stone walls, to a large stone barn about ¼ mile further on. With the barn on your left turn sharp right across the rocky pasture to located a track. Bear left on the track and continue, passing through a small farm gate across the route. After 200 yards go through another gate into a wooded area. The track between the trees is well defined and leads to the farmstead of Baysbrown on your left. A mile further on the narrow lane terminates as it joins the Colwith/Elterwater road. Turn left here to return to the centre of Elterwater.
Start at The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, 2 ½ miles from Elterwater. From the front door of the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel go up the driveway for 50 yards then bear right along a footpath to a small gate. Bear left to a gap in the wall in the top left hand corner of the meadow. Go through the gap; a footpath on your left ascends from the Stickle Ghyll Car Park; continue until you reach a Y junction. Bear left at the Y-junction and climb along the wall on your left to go through a swing gate adjacent to a gate into a field. Again bear left, following the left hand wall to a footbridge spanning Dungeon Ghyll Waterfalls. Cross the bridge and follow the well-defined path for ½ mile, passing through more gates. The path links up with a track coming from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Turn right, passing the National Trust sign for Mickleden. Follow the path along the valley for about ¾ mile to where the wall branches off sharply left. Turn left as well, following a grassy path running parallel to the left hand wall and cross Mickleden Beck via a wooden footbridge. On the opposite side turn left and follow the clear footpath to a T-junction. Go through the gate on your left leading into the farmyard of Stool End. Bear right between the outbuildings to a hard surfaced track with a wall on your left. Continue on for ½ mile to an L junction with a lane. Turn right along the lane, cross a bridge over the beck after 200 yards. Turn left (signposted Public Footpath) and cross a stile in the wall to enter a campsite. Follow the right hand wall for 75 yards then turn right onto a footpath lined with trees. 125 yards further on go through a swing gate, then a second one shortly after. After 10 yards go through a gap in the wall to enter a field. Bear right across the field on a grassy path leading to a stile in the stonewall. Continue through the trees to cross another stile in 150 yards. Turn left and follow the path/sheep track for 250 yards to another stile next to a field gate. Continue along the path along the lower slopes of Side Pike for 1/3 mile to climb over a wooden ladder stile across the route. At this point aim for the right hand side of the stonewall 300 yards away which encloses Side House. Climb the ladder stile and cross the small wooden footbridge. Bear left to follow the beck to reach another footbridge on your left. Turn left through a swing gate to enter a farmyard. Bear right to join a hard surfaced track. Continue to the end of this and rejoin the main road through Great Langdale, where you turn right to the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.
A gentle circular walk along the banks of the Great Langdale Beck to Oak Howe and back along the track below the crags and quarries on the flank of Lingmoor Fell. Parking in Elterwater is limited. There is the National Trust pay and display car park beside the bridge at the bottom of the village. Alternatively there is the rough car park just to the north of the village on the opposite side of the Langdale road, at Walthwaite Bottom. We have seen water lapping at the fringes of the the NT car park so be aware in particularly wet weather if you are intent on this walk, or leaving a car there for long. From the Britannia Inn behind the big maple tree in the middle of the village green walk down towards the bridge and Great Langdale Beck. Cross the bridge and immediately turn right, signposted on the wall “Chapel Stile”, and walk up the quarry road. In 400m (440 yards), opposite one of the level entrances bear right down the track signposted “footpath”. Drop down this rough track towards the beck where there are some pleasant cascades. The mottled green look to the river bed is from the slate like rock washed and well polished. It’s a tuff: volcanic ash that has been metamorphosed by heat and pressure into rock. Continue along the river bank and in 300m (330 yards) bear right to cross the footbridge to the road beside the Wainwrights’ Inn. From the Inn continue along the road towards Chapel Stile for a few metres and bear left onto a track signposted “Baysbrown campsite avoiding road”. Follow this track round the back of the Langdale school and bear left to Thrang Farm. Bear right around the side of Thrang Garth into a narrow lane. Reaching the road to Baysbrown campsite turn left to follow the road over the stone New Bridge and bear right along the banks of the Great Langdale Beck. Follow the track past the campsite and eventually round to the left to Oak Howe. At Oak Howe bear left as directed to the path junction below the barn. Turn left onto the bridleway signposted to “Baysbrown 3/4 mile”. Cross the stream and bear left again onto the track above the fields and into the woodland. Follow this track all the way to Baysbrown farm where you continue straight ahead onto the tarmac road. Follow this to the junction above the Eltermere Hotel, and bear left along the road back into Elterwater.
Start at The Britannia Inn, Elterwater With the Britannia Inn on your right head down the road past the public toilets and turn left, just prior to the road bridge into the National Trust Car Park. Bear right to the swing gate and follow the clear footpath alongside Great Langdale Beck to reach a lightly wooded area. Continue along the path through the trees to exit the wood through another swing gate alongside Elterwater. The path continues through meadowland alongside the river to another swing gate adjacent to a large field gate. Continue alongside the River Brathay down to Skelwith Force (viewpoint). At the end of the path continue straight on between the slate quarry buildings to join up with the main Ambleside-Coniston Road at Skelwith Bridge. Turn right and cross the road bridge, following the road uphill for about 200 yards to a stony track on your right (signposted Public Footpath). Follow this and bear left through a gate onto a stony footpath that ascends through a wooded area to join a farm track. Bear right, passing some cottages on your right, go through the two swing gates to enter a field. The path makes its way across the pastureland to a large gate in the boundary fence. Proceed along the gravel track to the farmstead of Park Farm. Continue along with the farm on your right, watching out for the Public Footpath sign and arrow on your right. Go between the outbuildings to a stile 100 yards away then cross a stone stile after 75 yards. The path proceeds between hedgerows to a wooden stile at the far end. Cross the driveway to a small swing gate and descend the large sloping field to a stile at the edge of a wooded area. The path zigzags steeply downhill and across the centre of a small field to a lane. Turn right for about 100 yards to locate a stile on the left, (signposted Footpath). Cross the stiles and turn right along the fairly distinctive stony path that winds its way through the trees along side the river. After ¼ mile you arrive at the main waterfall. Continue along the path, parallel to the river. The path eventually bears left away from the river and steeply ascends through the trees. Exit the woods via the large farm gate with a field on the opposite side. Walk along with the wall on your right then turn right through another wooden gate. Continue towards the farm then turn left up the driveway to join the narrow lane. Turn right and continue along the lane to Stang End Farm. Follow the lane as it bears right between the buildings. Immediately after the farmhouse turn right through a large field gate with a Public Footpath sign. The path is bordered by stonewalls on both sides, cross the stile then bear right to the small footbridge. Ascend the grassy slope to the road. Turn left for a short distance then next to a cottage turn right up a driveway (signposted as a Public Footpath). With the farm on your left pass through a wooden gate into a field. Continue straight on up the footpath to the top left of the field where you cross a stile in the wall. After another 60 yards go through a gap in the wall then bear left as the path makes its way across the pastureland to a gate with a broad track on the other side. Turn right along the track, which gradually descends to a gate. Continue straight ahead on the wide stony track to join up with the head of a lane, keep straight on to an inverted Y junction where you turn left back into Elterwater.