I set off from Grasmere in the rain. This is not an unusual situation in the Lake District and is rarely a reason not to go. Waterproofs on, head down, trust the forecast. By the time I reached the summit of Loughrigg Fell the cloud had lifted, the rain had stopped and Grasmere and Rydal Water were spread out below in that particular post-rain clarity where everything looks freshly washed and improbably green. It was one of those solo days that reminds you why going out in questionable weather is almost always the right call.
Getting There
I parked at Broadgate Meadow Car Park in Grasmere village (LA22 9RP), the same pay and display car park that serves as the starting point for several of these route (charges apply from 9am to 6pm, seven days a week and you can pay using RingGo). From the car park the village is a two-minute walk and the route south towards Loughrigg begins from the edge of Grasmere.
The Route
The circuit heads south from Grasmere, picking up the roads and paths alongside Grasmere lake before climbing onto the lower flanks of Loughrigg. The fell rises directly west of the lake and the path up is clear and well-worn, gaining height steadily with the lake appearing behind you as you climb.
Loughrigg Fell (#211, 335m) comes first. At just 335m it is one of the lowest Wainwrights, but the panorama from the top takes in Grasmere and Rydal Water below, Windermere in the distance to the south, the Langdale Pikes to the southwest and the full Fairfield Horseshoe to the north. Wainwright described it as a fell of surprising and delightful topography with much more to offer than its modest height suggests. He was right. The rain had cleared entirely by the summit and the light was extraordinary, everything sharp and green in the post-rain clarity.
It was on Loughrigg that the day delivered its most unexpected highlight. Two RAF fighter jets came screaming through the valley below at low level, banking hard around the fells before disappearing north towards Thirlmere. The kind of moment that makes you stand very still and feel extremely small and extremely fortunate to be standing exactly where you are. The fells offer a lot of things. A front row seat for low-level military aviation is usually a frequent one.
From Loughrigg the route heads north and west, dropping back towards Grasmere before climbing up onto Silver How (#202, 395m). The ascent from the valley is steeper than Loughrigg and the fell feels more remote despite its proximity to the village. The summit gives wide views north and east across the vale of Grasmere, with Helm Crag’s famous Lion and Lamb silhouette visible across the valley and the Helvellyn range rising beyond.
The descent from Silver How drops back east towards Grasmere, the path returning you to the village from the south side and completing a satisfying circuit that keeps Grasmere as both start point and constant reference throughout. The whole walk stays close to the village and the lake, which gives it a more intimate quality than the bigger fell circuits nearby.
The Views
Loughrigg and Silver How together offer some of the most complete views of the central Lakes from a relatively modest altitude. Grasmere and Rydal Water are the stars of the show from Loughrigg in particular, the two lakes sitting in the valley below with the village between them and the fells rising on every side. On a post-rain afternoon with the light coming through the cloud in shafts and the water catching it below, it is genuinely beautiful. The kind of view that makes you understand why people keep coming back to the Lake District and never quite getting it out of their system.
After the Walk
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is just a few minutes from the car park and is non-negotiable. Buy it on the way back. The gingerbread has been made to the same secret recipe since 1854, which gives it a certain authority on the subject of post-walk snacks. For something more substantial, Emma’s Dell on the main street does excellent coffee, homemade cakes and crepes and is one of the most reliably good post-walk stops in the Lakes.
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