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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Oliver Berry

This lovely circular six-mile walk has an easy first half, following footpaths and bridleways across the wooded countryside around Ambleside to Troutbeck. The more challenging return route involves a stiff climb up Wansfell Pike, for superb views over the Lakes, then descends via the pretty waterfall of Skelghyll Force.

Don’t miss

In Troutbeck you’ll find the historic farmhouse of Townend, which showcases rural life in the Lakes over the past few centuries, and is now a National Trust property.

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: 3 hours

Getting there & doing it

The walk begins and ends in Market Place, Ambleside. Some parts are uneven and rocky, and it’s muddy in places, so wear sturdy footwear. The National Trust website has a downloadable PDF including a marked map and directions.

Ambleside has some of the best restaurants in the Lake District, including the Michelin-starred Lake Road Kitchen and Old Stamp House. For something more relaxed, pick up a tasty pie from the Great North Pie Co.

When to do it

Walking is superb all year round. Summer (usually) brings good weather but crowds. Winter offers invigorating walking conditions and fewer crowds, but be prepared for snow on the Fells.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

The Samling

Windermere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[2.1 miles]

A charming, cosy boutique hotel, perched on a private hillside on a 67-acre estate, with an excellent restaurant and grandstand views across Lake Windermere.

Official star rating:

Daffodil Hotel

Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[4.2 miles]

A large, lakeside hotel not far from Grasmere, with a variety of rooms to suit all kinds of visitors – families, couples, walkers and weekend breakers will all find a happy home here.

Official star rating:

Forest Side Hotel

Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[4.9 miles]

One of the very best of the Lake District’s boutique hotels, a reinvented country mansion, brimming with wit, style and invention. In prime position for exploring the Lakes..

Official star rating:

Brimstone Hotel & Spa

Great Langdale, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[5 miles]

The Lakeland version of a deluxe ski lodge, offering supremely plush rooms, a lavish spa and a very private location on a Langdale estate. It’s also adults-only – making this an ideal place for couples looking for a place to pamper themselves.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Lake District

Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Imposing mountains, wild landscapes, tranquil lakes and picturesque towns combine to make the Lake District uniquely beautiful, and one of the best places in Britain for walking, climbing, boating and biking.

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Overview >

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Rydal Mount

Rydal, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[2.2 miles]

Wordsworth’s grand family home between Ambleside and Grasmere is an essential stop: it’s full of memorabilia, and offers an intriguing glimpse of the Wordsworth family’s daily life in the Lakes.

Best for ages: 18+ | £5

Dove Cottage (& Wordsworth Museum)

Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[4.2 miles]

Take a guided tour around Wordsworth’s charming cottage near Grasmere to get a fascinatingly personal insight into the poet’s life and times – and don’t miss the brilliant museum next door.

Best for ages: 180+ | £12

Hill Top

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[9 miles]

Beatrix Potter’s cottage is every bit as pretty (and popular) as you’d expect – and, for fans of her books, offers the chance to see some of the places that inspired her illustrations.

Best for ages: 13+ | £15

Walk up Scafell Pike

Wasdale, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[16.3 miles]

Climb up to the highest point in England for a memorable view of the Wasdale fells – and a special sense of achievement. But don’t expect to be on your own if the weather’s fine

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | Full day

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Exterior of a large white house
Experience

Townend

Troutbeck, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[3.8 miles]

This traditional stone and slate farmhouse was home to local famers the Browne family for over 400 years. The house and family’s possessions have been preserved, showcasing rural life in the Lakes over the past centuries.

Best for ages: 18+ | £9 | 3 hours

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Overview >
Exterior fo the small shop in Grasmere
Experience

Grasmere Gingerbread Shop

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[4.8 miles]

Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread is an institution in Grasmere: it’s been made to the same recipe since 1854. It’s wonderfully quaint – the frilly outfits worn by the shop staff are something from a bygone age.

Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 3 hours

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Overview >
Pedestrians outside the gift shop and cafe in the Main Street in the centre of Grasmere Village
Experience

Grasmere Village

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[5.1 miles]

The region’s most picturesque and charming village. Grasmere is set on the shores of its eponymous lake and cradled by green fields and fells. William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s – you can see the poet’s tombstone.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 3 hours

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Overview >
Lady staring at a painting by Beatrix Potter, at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead, Cumbria. Beatrix Potter's original artwork on display in a 17th-century house.
Experience

Beatrix Potter Gallery

Hawkshead, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[6.8 miles]

This small gallery in Hawkshead is located in the old office of Beatrix Potter’s husband, solicitor William Heelis. It holds regular exhibitions of her work, including her beautiful botanical paintings.

Best for ages: 10+ | £7 | 3 hours

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Overview >