Walk · Cumbria

Loughrigg Fell and the Rydal Water shore

Ambleside

3.7MILES

2h 15mON FOOT

290mCLIMB

CircularSHAPE

The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland

Off-road 88% 12% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 74%Lane & track 14%Road with traffic 12%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

Rothay Park, Ambleside, at the Stock Ghyll footbridge

Parking

No parking at the park itself; use the Rydal Road or Low Fold car parks in Ambleside, both paid and both busy from mid-morning

Directions to the start →

Three and three quarter miles with a genuine 290 metres of climb in it, so short but not soft: a steep zigzag out of Rothay Park onto the knobbly top of Loughrigg, then a quick drop east to the little beach on Rydal Water. The start is Rothay Park in Ambleside, a five-minute walk from the bus stops, which saves paying for a space; the small Pelter Bridge car park on the far side is an alternative but holds barely twenty cars. Sheep graze the fell top all year so leads there, but the last mile along the river Rothay and the lake shore is safely enclosed, the stepping stones give dogs an easy paddle, and every wall on the route is crossed by a gate.

THE SMALL PRINTLeads on the open fell above Rothay Park - Herdwicks graze the summit plateau all year. Off lead is realistic only on the enclosed riverside return.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on

Off-lead allowed

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.4292, -2.9699

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.KOMOOT.COM/GUIDE/200400/HIKING-AROUND-RYDAL-WATER

Loughrigg Fell and the Rydal Water shore

House rules, decoded

2 Cambridge Villas

3 Cambridge Villas

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