Lanty's Tarn, Keldas and Patterdale Circular

Overview

About Lanty's Tarn, Keldas and Patterdale Circular

Why go

Peaceful tarn and fell views on a short loop
Keldas adds a small viewpoint without a major detour

Heads up

Rough climb, gates, stiles and a livestock field
Several road crossings on the Patterdale return

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation148–291 m

TrailheadLanty's Tarn, Keldas and Patterdale Circular54.54393, -2.94922

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Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Use the established car parks in central Glenridding, including Beckside Car Park near the bridge and the Ullswater Steamers car park. From the village, start beside the bridge and follow the lane on the left bank of Glenridding Beck toward Mires Beck and Helvellyn.

Best time to go

Allow roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, more if you linger at the tarn or Keldas. The wooded sections give shelter, while the open climb and the return near Patterdale feel more exposed to wind and rain. Clear mornings or late-day light are especially good for reflections and for the view from Keldas. Spring through autumn gives the easiest footing; winter can make the short climb and gates slippery. If you want a bigger summit and wider views, Glenridding Dodd is the more ambitious nearby choice.

Safety

The initial climb is rough and steep in places, with gates and stiles. The return involves several road crossings around Patterdale and a field where cattle may be present in warmer months. Keep dogs close and use the alternate retrace to the tarn if livestock blocks the field.

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

See all 8 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Lake District Tour Guide

Your drive to Lanty's Tarn, Keldas and Patterdale 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

Helvellyn Walks from Glenridding

0:00 / 1:03

“You're coming up on Glenridding, a starting point for Helvellyn and some much shorter walks into the fells. Helvellyn rises to almost nine hundred and fifty metres, making it England's third-highest mountain.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.

Hiking Lanty's Tarn, Keldas and Patterdale Circular

The walkThis is a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) circular walk from central Glenridding.

This is a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) circular walk from central Glenridding. It climbs through woodland and rougher open ground to Keldas, makes a short permissive detour to the little summit cairn, then circles Lanty's Tarn before dropping through Patterdale and returning along lower valley paths. The stored distance is the complete loop, including the Patterdale return and its permissive sections.

What it feels likeThe tarn is the quiet payoff: a small, tree-framed pool with a more intimate feel than…

The tarn is the quiet payoff: a small, tree-framed pool with a more intimate feel than Ullswater below. Keldas adds a worthwhile glimpse of Ullswater and the surrounding fells for very little extra walking. Expect a mixture of pitched stone, rough earth, field paths, farm track and short road sections. The ascent is short but purposeful, with about 170 m of climbing, gates and stiles. It is manageable for a reasonably active walker, but it is not a pram-friendly or fully surfaced stroll.

Access and dogsBegin from the village and follow the signed lane beside Glenridding Beck toward Mires Beck and…

Begin from the village and follow the signed lane beside Glenridding Beck toward Mires Beck and Helvellyn. There is no special permit for this ordinary village-and-footpath circuit. Dogs may accompany visitors, but keep them close around livestock, use the gates and stiles carefully, and remember that one return field can contain cattle in warmer months. If livestock makes that field unsuitable, return to the tarn and retrace the outward path. The route crosses the road more than once around Patterdale, so take care at those crossings.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Lake District

All Lake District wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.