Pooley Bridge - Grasmere
From Pooley Bridge the walk gently climbs on to the slopes of Barton Fell, where easy routes lead past an impressive stone circle before commencing a classic descent towards Howtown, with tremendous views down to the Lake. The route then takes in isolated and scattered communities of farmsteads and churches before heading to the lakeshore for a fine walk to Patterdale.
The villages of Patterdale and Grasmere are split by a high mountain range, the longest high level range in Lakeland. The initial miles are through the side valley of Grisedale which penetrates deep into the folds of the Helvellyn range, before a climb to Grisedale Tarn. From here it is a short descent to Grasmere, directly below you, the home of William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage.

Grasmere - Ambleside
Between Grasmere and Troutbeck you will walk through central Lakeland and two popular valleys, finishing in a third. Three separate climbs will be encountered, all on easy paths and enjoying amazing views.
From Elterwater in the beautiful Langdale valley, you will follow the river Brathay into bustling Ambleside, for your overnight accommodation and where this trip finishes.

Moderate

Terrain: Lakeland fells and valleys.

How Much Up & Down? The biggest climb is 450m up to Grisedale tarn form Patterdale, but it isn’t steep. There are numerous shorter, and sometimes steep climbs after Grasmere.

Signposting: None.

Navigation: You will need to use your map and guidebook, but the paths are well defined. You might encounter hill fog going over Grisedale – but the path is good.

Weather: You may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but you must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Good clothing and waterproofs essential!

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight in to the day-to-day operation, and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation, including small country house hotels, guest houses in market towns, bed and breakfasts in farm houses, country cottages and Victorian town houses. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. For example, over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, on a working farm, and in a Georgian hotel.

We always try to arrange ensuite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

General travel information on the Westmorland Way area will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit www.qjump.co.uk where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit www.traveline.info

If you require secure car parking whilst walking this route, please contact us for information.

Getting There: Pooley Bridge
By Air: The nearest international airports are Manchester (MAN) or Newcastle (NCL). You can then travel by train to Penrith (approx 2 hours from both), and then bus or taxi to Pooley Bridge (6 miles).
By Public Transport: Pooley Bridge’s nearest railway station is Penrith (PNR). You can then either travel by bus or taxi to Pooley Bridge (6 miles).
By Road:  Travel to Penrith in the county of Cumbria, then the A66 west and the A592 to Pooley Bridge.

Returning from Ambleside:
By Public Transport: Travel by bus or taxi to Windermere (4 miles) for rail travel connecting with the west coast main line.
By Road: From Ambleside take the A591 to Kendal (13 miles), then the A684 to Killington Lake for the M6 motorway.