Parking
Use Stock Lane Car & Coach Park near the village entrance, then walk to St Oswald's Church. Public toilets are available at the car park. Regular buses stop in Grasmere.
Overview
About Grasmere Lake Circular
Why go
- Complete lakeshore circuit with varied scenery
- Low-level route with modest ascent
Heads up
- Two busy A591 crossings
- Rough path and narrow riverside section
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation61–138 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Grasmere Lake Circular, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Grasmere: Riverside, Gingerbread and Lake0:00 / 1:20
“You're nearing Grasmere village, where you can combine a walk beside the River Rothay with a stop for the local gingerbread.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wordsworth Grasmere: Inside Dove Cottage
- Easedale Tarn: Waterfalls from Grasmere
- Rydal Water and Cave from White Moss
- Mill Bridge: Seat Sandal and the Grasmere View
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Grasmere Lake Circular
Route and sequenceA complete closed loop of 6.0 km (3.
A complete closed loop of 6.0 km (3.7 miles) starting and finishing beside St Oswald's Church in Grasmere village. Reckon on 1.5 to 2 hours, around 1.75 hours at a steady pace, with roughly 95 m of ascent and a difficulty of 3/10.
The order of things:
The payoff is the lake itself: you walk its whole shoreline rather than glimpsing it from above.
- Village and Stock Lane heading toward Ambleside, passing the Wordsworth Trust Shop and Dove Cottage
- A gentle climb onto the historic Coffin Route, then the signed path near White Moss and Wordsworth's (Skater's) Tarn
- Descent to White Moss and a crossing of the A591
- River Rothay parkland and footbridge, then the full length of the Grasmere shore
- A rise to the lane and the return along Red Bank Road
Footing and exposureLow-level throughout, but not smooth going.
Low-level throughout, but not smooth going. A couple of sections are rough and stony, and one narrow riverside stretch has a steep drop immediately beside the path. There are two crossings of the busy A591, and the Red Bank Road return has stretches without pavement, so walk with traffic in mind. After sustained rain, shaded and low-lying sections stay slick and wet.
Landscape and wildlifeGrasmere sits in a glacial basin ringed by fells, with no motor boats on the water, only…
Grasmere sits in a glacial basin ringed by fells, with no motor boats on the water, only swimming and rowing. The Island is its single island. Views take in Helm Crag, Silver How and Loughrigg, and the walk moves between woodland, meadow and open water. Wildfowl gather along the shore, and a hollow tree stands on the lakeshore.
Access, dogs and permitsThe primary trailhead is St Oswald's Church on Church Stile.
The primary trailhead is St Oswald's Church on Church Stile. Stock Lane Car & Coach Park near the village entrance suits both the church and Dove Cottage and has public toilets. Regular buses serve Grasmere. Use designated parking and do not block gates or roads. No permit is required. Dogs are welcome, but keep them leashed or under close control near livestock and at the road crossings, and away from nesting wildfowl.
If you want moreFor a longer day, the Grasmere and Rydal Water walk extends beyond this loop to take in a…
For a longer day, the Grasmere and Rydal Water walk extends beyond this loop to take in a second lake. This circular stays with Grasmere alone and is the shorter, simpler option.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
