A relatively easy walk to the summit of Loughrigg from Ambleside. Enjoy the tremendous views along the Langdale valley and over Lake Grasmere with its surrounding high hills. Visit the disused mine workings above Rydal Water. Follow the pretty River Rothay back to Ambleside.
Click on the above map for an interactive map of the route.
The Trails Map (dropdown, top right) is the best free map for displaying footpaths and topography. Expand to full screen (cross arrows, top right) to see route detail. Ordnance Survey maps can be used with a small subscription to Plotaroute.
Clicking on the above map gives access to various downloads (e.g. GPX and PDF).
Date: 01/01/2026
Length: 6.129 miles
Height Gain: 377m
Terrain: Stone tracks, grassy tracks, farm tracks, boggy fell. Stones steps (down to Lake Grasmere). Lightly used road.
Navigation: Map, gps and compass required. The tracks are reasonably obvious, but there are many of them. Loughrigg fell has a plethora of paths and hillocks that can be confusing in bad weather.
Start: Rydal Road Carpark (Ambleside)
Route: Rydal Road Carpark (Ambleside), Miller Brow, Loughrigg Fell, Loughrigg Terrace, Rydal Mines, Pelter Bridge, Under Loughrigg Road
Map: OL7 Lake District - South Eastern Area
Weather: Icy and cold wind. Intermittent sun.
Walkers: Nun, Kapitan, Cabin Boy And Ted
At Least The Robin Showed Enthusiasm
There Were Fine Views Of The Fairfield Horseshoe On The Ascent
Over A Mile Into The Walk, The Kapitan Finds The Reason For His Head Hurting
In fact, it really was lovely outside. The sun was out, but there was a chilly wind giving a crisp nip to the air. We joined the steep, tarmac road that winds its way up to Miller Brow. A Robin chirped us a ‘Happy New Year’ as we passed. There were plenty of people going up the hill and some coming down too. I had a feeling that the summit was going to be rather busy today.
Since leaving the digs, the Kapitan had been complaining about his head hurting. I’d put this down to excesses from last night’s festivities, but by the time we reached Loughrigg’s open fell, he decided it merited further investigation. It turns out that he had a plastic laundry capsule in his hoodie and it had been pressing on his scalp. Given the size of the item, I was astounded that he’d not realised sooner. As they say: ‘Where there’s no sense, there’s no feeling.’
We could now see a large column of people heading westwards towards Loughrigg’s summit. Some of the walkers were definitely of the pottering variety, rather than the die-hard type. A Chinese chap passed us and he was wearing some remarkable shoes. It looked like some flip-flop soles had been stuck on some chic city shoes. The perimeter of the flip-flop sole exceeded that of the city shoe by about 1cm. I wondered if the flip-flop soles were detachable. If so, what a wonderful idea! I wanted to ask for details about them, but he marched off at a much faster pace than us.
Loughrigg Fell Tarns
We Spotted One Or Two People Near Loughrigg's Summit
As we approached the summit, the difficulty of our challenge became apparent. Loughrigg’s top was a mass of people; most were standing, but some were sitting on its slopes. A very strong wind greeted us as we joined the throng on the crag, making standing up an additional challenge. Arranging Ted’s Wainwrights summit photo proved very difficult. A young couple wanted a photo of their dog standing on the trig and so the hound was promptly lifted onto the pillar. The gusting wind was making the mechanics of taking the photo, making sure the dog didn’t fall off the pillar and making sure everybody was smiling, a difficult and lengthy process. I took a photo of them just to show how easy it could be achieved. Admittedly, I got one of the dog’s arse rather than its face, but I thought it was worthy of any social media feed. In some circumstances it is best not to strive for perfection. In the end, we gave up waiting for our turn at the trig. and so Ted had his photo taken standing on a rock near to the trig, with a nice view of the Langdale valley behind him.
'Rather than going back on the same route, do you fancy extending the walk by heading over to Lake Grasmere’ I suggested to the team. It seemed a shame not to make the most of a lovely day.
‘No’ said the Cabin Boy. When the Cabin Boy gives monosyllable answers, I knew better than to attempt to nudge the three to change their mind and so I left them to return on our outbound route whilst I headed off northwards towards Lake Grasmere.
Lake Grasmere
I set off towards Lake Grasmere on my tod. Or rather I didn’t, since there were just as many people coming and going from Grasmere’s direction as there had been on our ascent from Ambleside. No wonder the summit was busy. At the top of the stone steps that descend to the lake, I struggled to keep my camera steady in the strong wind. As usual, Lake Grasmere looked magnificent surrounded by the high hills and the village nestled at its northern end. I made quick work of the stone steps, purely because I wanted to get out of the strong, cold wind. By the time I reached the path that heads along the contour of the hills towards Rydal Water (Loughrigg Terrace), the wind had dropped to manageable levels. I started making my way around to the disused mines, still amazed at the number of people that had ventured out for a walk.
The Rydal mines were just as packed as the summit of Loughrigg. I didn’t even attempt to get near the opening. There were even a couple of people that looked to be getting dangerously close to the top edge of the mine entrance. I left the chaotic ensemble and headed down to the west end of Rydal Water. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as crowded down there.
Crowds At One Of Rydal's Disused Mines
Cairn Art At The Rydal Mines
Great Views From Under Loughrigg Road
I may sound like a stuck record, but it was just as crowded near the lake. I followed the River Rothay to Pelter Bridge and then joined the masses walking along Under Loughrigg Road. It may have been busy, but it was still great to be out of the house. I was wanting to say ‘hello’ to the pigs along the lane, but they were absent. I hoped that they’d not been guests on a Christmas dinner.
Believe it or not, it was also incredibly busy in Rothay Park. Some kids were playing football in the playground near the church. Rather than using a net, the ground’s creators had placed a wire mesh behind the goals. Every time the ball hit them, there was a loud crash that reverberated for what seemed like eternity.
‘Crikey. I bet that’s annoying to the people in the houses that are positioned alongside the play area’ I thought. At the end of the playground, I came across a notice saying that children playing football should be mindful of the disturbance to the nearby residents when the ball hits the wire mesh. Well, that’s that problem sorted out then!
Today’s New Year’s Day walk wasn’t the high level jaunt over Hartsop Dodd and Stoney Cove Pike I was expecting to enjoy, but it proved a satisfactory alternative. I thoroughly enjoyed those tremendous views over the Langdale Valley from Loughrigg’s summit. and those across Lake Grasmere and Rydal Water. If you are wanting solitude, then I'd recommend doing this walk on any day other than New Year’s day.
Rydal Water