Grasmere Riverside

Route

Starting from Broadgate car park, head over the footbridge  Bird life abounds in the river: look out for ducks, dippers, wagtails and the blue flash of a kingfisher.

Cross another bridge and continue along the Rothay with the river on your left-hand side. You will soon reach the Millennium Bridge. Go straight on, but if you do cross the bridge and turn right you reach Stock Lane car park, where there are toilets. You can also turn left along a hedged path to the A591 and a lay-by on the other side of the road, an alternative start if the village car parks are full. You could now also follow the new extension for a longer additional circuit. Continue along the A591 past the layby heading north for around 500 yards, then take the newly surface tarmac path on the left and follow it until you reach the road back to the village. Turn left here, over the White Bridge, then take care to cross the road to continue on a pavement, then cross back again and through the gate into the recreation ground and back along the riverside to Broadgate Meadows Car Park.

Going back to Millennium Bridge, go beyond the bridge (not crossing it turning to Stock Lane Car Park) and follow the path to the road. Turn left, past the gingerbread shop – if you can resist the famed delicacy – and through the churchyard’s lych-gate. St. Oswald’s is the parish church of Grasmere, Rydal and Langdale. Each ‘township’ has its own separate gate into the churchyard. William Wordsworth is buried here – he died in 1850 and there is a memorial inside the church, as well as his gravestone outside.

Retrace your steps out of the churchyard. You can go back along the riverside or wander through bustling Grasmere.

Please note that mobility scooters must be class 2 or 3 on the route.

Download the route map for Grasmere Riverside

Details

Start point:

Postcode: LA22 9TA
Grid reference: NY 338077
W3W: ///happily.fries.calendars

Facilities:

Toilets at Stock Lane CP have male & female toilets (50p) with baby changing facilities plus a separate entrance for disabled toilets (radar key required). There are also toilets on College Street (which also require a radar key which can be collected from a local shop) Disabled parking spaces, toilets and refreshments in Grasmere.

Getting there:

Bus: 555 and 599 services operate regularly to Grasmere from Ambleside and Keswick. In Grasmere the bus stop near the Primary School is more accessible for wheelchair users.
Car: take the A591 from either Ambleside or Keswick.