Best Walks From Grasmere
By Dave Roberts 
Best Walks From Grasmere
Grasmere is regarded as the Lake District’s most visited village, mainly thanks to it’s most famous resident who made it the location of his first family home from 1799 to 1808, poet laureate Williams Wordsworth. It is found at the centre of the Lakes and takes it’s name from the nearby lake Grasmere, it also has a second lake nearby in the form of Rydal Water and has Helm Crag looking over it from the north-west.
What’s In Grasmere? The Williams Wordsworth museum can be found at Dove Cottage. You could also visit Rydal Mount and gardens, his last family home in nearby Rydal. A visit for any true Mud and Routes food enthusiast wouldn’t be complete without trying the famous 1854 invented Grasmere Gingerbread by Victorian cook Sarah Nelson, but is it a cake or biscuit? Another point of interest is the Peace Oak. Found in Broadgate Meadow it was planted in 1919 by National Trust co-founder Canon Rawnsley, as a mark of peace on the anniversary of the start of World War I.
How Can I Get To Grasmere? Arriving by train your nearest station stop would be at Windermere, which is a good 14.5km drive away. Arriving by road from the north take junction 40 off the M6 and follow the A66 on towards Keswick, or from the south you can take junction 36 and follow signs for Windermere, Ambleside, and Grasmere. There are good public transport links for Grasmere, with the 599 bus running between Kendal, Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere during the summer. The 555 service also runs between Kendal and Kewick via Grasmere.
What Pubs and eateries are there in Grasmere?? Among the many choices is The Traveller’s Rest, a traditional 16th century coaching inn which features as the start of one of the walks below, and then a firm fave among Mud and Routes readers is the CAMRA award winning pub Tweddies.
Here are the best walks from Grasmere on Mud and Routes
Helvellyn from Grasmere
Height Gained – 980 metres, Distance – 8 km (one way), Time –3.5 hours.
Helvellyn can be ascended from Grasmere, either directly or via one of the easier ascent routes starting from the southern end of Thirlmere at Wythburn. or Dunmail Rise. The direct route from Grasmere is via Grisedale Tarn, and involves climbing over Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike on the way to the summit. You can either reutn the same way or continue down to Thirlmere, Wythburn or Dunmail Rise and return to Grasmere by bus. See Walks up Helvellyn for more information on those routes.
Fairfield Horseshoe
Height Gained – 1220 metres , Distance – 20 km, Time –8 hours
The Farifield Horseshoe is one of the top Lake District walks, and can be started from Grasmere as well as Rydal. You can do so either by following the Coffin Route to Rydal, or by starting the Fairfield Horseshoe directly from Grasmere via Stone Arthur or Heron Pike.
The Coffin Route
Height Gained – 190 metres , Distance – 6.5 km, Time –2 hours
This low level walk takes you along an old corpse road between Ambleside and Grasmere, with plenty of interest along the way. From the natural wonders of Rydal Water and Grasmere, to the literary ones of Wordsworth as you pass two of his homes – Rydal Mount and Dove Cottage. It was recently voted one of the best walks in Britain.
Grasmere Riverside Walk
Height Gained – 7 metres , Distance – 1.2 km, Time 30 minutes
Walks don’t have to be long, and this one can be completed in around half an hour around the village. Of course, you’ll need to make some time for visiting Wordsworth’s Grave at St Oswald’s Church which is an attraction that brings people in from all over the world.
White Moss Common
Height Gained – 40 metres , Distance – 2 km, Time –1 hours
White Moss Common can be found between Grasmere and Rydal, and is a popular stopping point. This route from the car park is an accessible route to the outflow of Grasmere.
Rydal Water Lakeside Walk from White Moss Common
Height Gained – 100 metres , Distance –3.6 km, Time –1hr 30min
This walk along the shore of Rydal Water is an accessible route that can be extended all the way around by following the Coffin Route from Rydal to the starting point at White Moss Common.
Silver How and Great Langdale Walk
Height Gained – 450 metres , Distance – 8.3 km, Time –3 hours
Silver How is one of the best viewpoints over Grasmere, as you can see below! The route (while described in the linked route from Langdale) takes you initially along Grasmere and over to Great Langdale before returning to Grasmere over the summit of Silver How.
Steel Fell from The Traveller’s Rest
Height Gained – 470 metres , Distance – 7 km, Time –3 hours
The Wainwright of Steel Fell (Dead Pike) may only be 500 odd metres high, but occupies an unrivalled position on the watershed between Thirlmere and Grasmere. This is a direct route from Grasmere up the ridge known as Coltra Breast and while it may be a route that returns the same way, the views on the return leg of Grasmere make up for it.
Helm Crag from Grasmere and Helm Crag Circular Walk
Height Gained – 370 metres or 580 metres , Distance – 7 km or 12 km, Time –3 hours or 5 hours for the longer walk..
The compact Wainwright of Helm Crag may lack in altitude, but packs in the altitude. With a summit that requires a bit of scrambling to ascend to the top, it’s one of the trickier Wainwrights to summit. There are two options, one walk up and down Helm Crag and a second longer walk that takes in the Wainwright summits of Gibson Knott and Calf Crag in a circular walk
Loughrigg Fell
Height Gained – 400 metres , Distance – 9.4 km, Time –3.5 hours
Loughrigg Fell is a popular walk from Grasmere, Great Langdale and Ambleside – and with the views it provides then that’s no surprise. This route can be joined from White Moss Common and includes a walk along the southern shore of Rydal Water.
Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks
|
|
|
|
Guidebooks:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Dave Roberts
More Posts by Dave Roberts
Full Moelwynion and Moel Siabod Traverse – Maentwrog to Capel Curig
Best Walks in the South Downs National Park
