A Walk on Loughrigg Fell 335M (1101 Ft)

A walk on Loughrigg Fell 335m (1101 ft).

In Brief Fancy exploring Loughrigg Fell, the mountain that sprawls between Ambleside, Grasmere and the Langdale Valley? The plan is to run two walks simultaneously, Tony to lead one and Aly the other, one which will go to the summit and the other which will circumnavigate the mountain. Neither should take longer than 4 hours.

Route Descriptions: 1. The Top of Loughrigg Starting from Pelter Bridge car park we’ll walk beside the River Rothay for about a kilometre before taking the Fox Ghyll footpath which climbs gradually up to the saddle of Loughrigg. As views of the Coniston Fells open up before us we take one of the many grassy paths on our left which leads to the north of Ivy Crag and easily towards the first of Loughrigg’s ”collection” of summits. From the top (weather permitting!) we can expect unparalleled views of Windermere, Loughrigg Tarn, Elterwater and Grasmere. Continuing, we now start a fairly steep descent (which will require some caution), towards Loughrigg Terrace – an elevated bridleway once used as a miner’s track and more recently as a film location in Miss Potter. From here we can enjoy superb views across Grasmere and towards the Northern Fells. Following the terrace North East we arrive at Rydal Cave, a slate mine dug into the hill as far as light would allow and finish our descent by walking past the disused slate quarries and through the woods back to the car park. Height gain: 1235 ft Distance: 4.19 miles

Route Descriptions: 2. The Walk around Loughrigg This walk starts off in exactly the same way as above, following first the River Rothay and then the Fox’s Ghyll path to the saddle of Loughrigg. Here the paths diverge as this route now drops down towards the beautiful Loughrigg Tarn and then joins a minor road heading north past “chocolate box cottages”. We follow this for about a kilometre before turning right into the woods to reach the western end of Loughrigg Terrace. From here on the route is the same as above as we follow the track towards Rydal Cave and then down between the disused quarries towards the car park. Height gain: 990 ft Distance: 4.9 miles

Practicalities 10.00 – 10.15 Meet at Pelter Bridge car park (GR:365059) 1 mile north of Ambleside just off the A591. From the main road turn left (signposted Under Loughrigg) cross Pelter Bridge and then turn immediately right. The car park is 100m further on on the left. Incredibly it’s FREE!! but it is quite small so early arrival and car sharing is advisable.

10.30…. We’ll set off.

What to bring  Comfortable walking boots. If you intend walking to the summit good ankle support is recommended especially for the descent.  Waterproof jacket and trousers  Sweater or ideally a fleece top  Sticks if you use them  Small rucksack  Water bottle and/or flask  A packed lunch and snacks  Optional: Camera; Map OL7 - South Eastern Lakes 1:25000; Compass