Tour of the Lake District: The Eastern Tour

Keswick to Grasmere

Leaving Keswick the route heads for Castlerigg Stone Circle before crossing farmland to reach the popular viewpoint of Walla Crag. From there a broad path descends to the packhorse bridge at Ashness before entering an upland valley leading to the tiny community of Watendlath. After a short climb it’s an easy descent into the Borrowdale Valley at Rosthwaite. Following a clear path from Rosthwaite alongside Stonethwaite Beck, the trail then becomes rockier underfoot before climbing up the remote Greenup Gill to Greenup Edge on a steep but obvious path. You then have the choice to take the easier route down to the valley of Far Easedale, which is often boggy underfoot or over the Lion and the Lamb on Helm Crag into Grasmere. This is a memorable day with views of Lakeland fells in all directions.

Grasmere to Patterdale

The villages of Grasmere and Patterdale are split by a high mountain range, the longest high level range in Lakeland. The route lies over the Helvellyn range and you can choose to walk either over the pass at Grisedale Tarn, or for the more adventurous, via the summit of Helvellyn, England’s 3rd highest mountain, before dropping down to Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater.

Patterdale to Ambleside

The last stage of the Tour sees you leaving the shores of Ullswater in the direction Brothers Water. Passing to the west of Brothers Water the trail climbs alongside Caiston Beck, arriving at Scandale Pass before turning to reach the summit of Red Screes, offering exceptional 360 degree views on a clear day. From Red Screes it’s a superb ridge walk down into Ambleside and the completion of your Tour of the Lake District!

Moderate to Challenging

Terrain: A mixture of forest paths, wooded lake shores and tracks following the lower slopes of the fells, with several mountain passes but none more than 550m / 1800ft in altitude.

How Much Up & Down? The average daily ascent is 625m / 2050ft, but the actual climbing varies each day from 360m / 1180ft (Windermere to Ambleside) to around 900m / 2950ft (Coniston to Boot).

What’s it like underfoot? The paths and tracks that are followed on this route are well defined and maintained. There are occasional sections where the path, while still well defined, becomes rougher on higher ground.

Signposting: There are no official route waymarks and you will need to use your route description and map to follow the paths and tracks on the ground.

Navigation: The paths are well defined, but you will need to read a map and use the route description. You spend some time on higher ground and may encounter mist and hill fog so the ability to use a compass is essential.  While the footpaths the route follows are marked on the map, the route itself is not highlighted.

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. Remember you are spending time on higher ground, where it will be colder than in the valleys. 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 into the day-to-day operation and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation. 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, or on a working farm. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. Occasionally we may use a chain hotel.

We always try to arrange en suite 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.

We are happy to book single rooms on our holidays but cannot normally book more than two for any one group. Single room bookings include a supplement.

Travel Info:
General travel information on the Lake District 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 trainline where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline
If you require secure car parking whilst walking this route, please contact us for information.

Getting to Keswick:
By Air: The nearest international airports are Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL) or Glasgow (GLA). You can travel by train to Penrith  and then bus or taxi to Keswick (18 miles).
By Public Transport: Keswick’s nearest railway station is Penrith (PNR). You can travel on one of the regular buses to Keswick, or by taxi (18 miles). Keswick has a central bus station, and you are usually no longer than a 5/10minute stroll to your accommodation, or a couple of minutes in a taxi.
By Road: Keswick is in the Northern Lake District in the county of Cumbria. The A66 passes right along the edge of the town, and the nearest motorway is the M6.

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: Take the A591 to either the A65 if heading south or A66 if heading north before joining the M6.

Keswick

Keswick is a bustling market town centred around the historic Moot Hall, with a vast array of outdoor shops – if you need any outdoor gear, you will get it here! There is a wide choice of places to eat or have a coffee, and a range of galleries to visit. Enjoy one of the easy, short walks down to the lakeshore from where there is a regular launch service around Derwentwater. Or pop into our offices to say hello or book your next holiday!

Grasmere

Grasmere is a charming village right in the heart of the Lake District National Park and a great location to spend a well earned rest day. It was once the home of the famous poet William Wordsworth and today you can visit two of his former homes - Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount. In the centre of Grasmere is St. Oswald’s Church, which contains the Wordsworth family graves. The village itself has narrow bustling streets with cafes, shops and pubs. The frequent local bus service connects Grasmere with Keswick and Ambleside if you want to explore further into the Lakes.

Patterdale

Patterdale offers spectacular scenery in a peaceful location. This tiny village in the heart of the English Lake District will give you a well earned rest before heading onwards on your walking route. Boat trips can be taken on the Ullswater Steamers to Pooley Bridge, with several opportunities to disembark and explore the lakeshore attractions along the way.

Ambleside

Ambleside is a bustling Lakeland town, with charming shops and a wide choice of good cafes and restaurants. The small town is known for its landmark Bridge House and its connections with writers, poets and artists including Beatrix Potter. There are many short walks that can be enjoyed from here, or you can wander down to Waterhead and take a ride on one of the Windermere “Steamers” on the lake.