Grasmere to Langdale circular pub-crawl – 9.23 miles

Directions 1. Park up in the scenic village, then follow the road leading west out of the village around the edge of the lake and take the first footpath on your right, which hugs a wood before crossing a stile.

2. Stay on the track as it climbs up and up towards Silver How and meets the line of a dry-stone wall to your left. At the junction of paths, don’t veer left but carry straight on and follow the contour around the before twisting off to the right.

3. Keep going along the edge of the fell as the views of and Windermere open up to your left, until you are standing above the waterfall cascading down below. You should see a track snaking down the gully beside the beck. Walk on a bit to the point where it meets the path you’re on and then take it and head sharply down alongside the water towards Langdale.

4. Cross the little road you meet that leads through the village of Chapel Stile, and cut across the meadow ahead of you to reach the first pub - Wainwrights Inn.*

5. When you leave the pub walk past its beautiful beer garden and take a sharp right over a footbridge that crosses Beck.

6. Turn right and follow the path up as it first skirts and then rises to pass through an old (but still working) slate quarry. Stay on the track until you’ve left the quarry and meet a little house on your right. Here the footpath bears left up into trees before levelling and dropping down, passing an old log where people have hammered in coins in intriguing patterns.

7. Join the walled track and follow it right until you pass a wall and see a stile on your left. The path runs down through a field. Take it, staying on the right as it forks, all the way to the corner of the field, before crossing into another field and following to reach a farm. Take a left to meet the road, then turn right and you’ll reach The Three Shires Inn a hundred yards further on.

8. When you leave, double back the way you came and follow the road, taking the second footpath on your right to cross the river and walk up through cottages called ‘High Park’, joining the waymarked ‘ Way’ heading east.

9. Stay on the path as it rises and drops through farms and woodland all the way to Force.

10. Cross the bridge at Skelwith Force and turn right, following a footpath through the trees beside the river to reach Talbot’s Bar – pub three on our crawl.

11. Double back on the same footpath, passing on your left and rejoin the Cumbria Way as it meanders through fields beside the , past Elterwater and into the village. Stop at the Britannia Inn.

12. Take the small road out of the village heading east up towards the behind. Turn right where it meets the larger road and then look left for a footpath cutting up towards the crags.

13. Follow the path straight up the steep gradient and pass beneath the looming Huntingstile Crag, before levelling off and then beginning your descent down towards Grasmere.

14. Go through a gate with stunning views out over Grasmere and take the track as it weaves down past a wood and into the thick, lush trees that run down to the lake.

15. Join Red Bank Road and follow it north as it runs between the houses hidden by Rhododendron-filled gardens all the way back to Grasmere village for a well-earned drink. Once your feet have recovered, make your way to the Best Western Plus Castle Inn Hotel for a great night’s sleep

* For the shorter route or ‘Small Crawl’ of 5.2 miles and three pubs leave Wainwrights Inn, cross the footbridge and turn left following the Cumbria Way along the river to Elterwater and the Britannia Inn (11). Then skip straight to 12. Points of interest (see other page)

Walking Route

Roads

Bodies of water GRASMERE 1

15

GREAT 2 14 LANGDALE

Wainwrights Inn 3

13

4 CHAPEL STILE 5 12 ELTERWATER

11 6 6 Britannia Talbot’s Bar Inn LOUGHRIGG 7 10

LITTLE LANGDALE SKELWITH BRIDGE 8 9