Parking
Use Cinderdale car park at grid reference NY162194 in Cinderdale, Buttermere Valley. The route begins by crossing the B5289 to the gate opposite the car park, so do not substitute the larger Buttermere car park.
Overview
About The Valley of Cinders Walk
Why go
- Crummock Water views and medieval ironworking remains
- Short loop with a clear route and a real sense of place
Heads up
- Steep grassy drop to the lake can be slippery when wet
- Steps and uneven terrain make it unsuitable for step-free access
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation100–147 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 The Valley of Cinders Walk, 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
Crummock Water: Cinders and Grasmoor0:00 / 1:22
“You're coming up on Crummock Water by Rannerdale, where you can choose a short lakeside history walk or a much bigger day on the fells.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lanthwaite Wood: Shore and Hilltop Views
- Loweswater: Mellbreak and Scale Force
- Buttermere: Lakeshore and Village
- Loweswater: Holme Wood and Lakeshore
- 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 The Valley of Cinders Walk
What the loop isThis is a 1.
This is a 1.5-mile circular walk from Cinderdale car park, with the distance covering the complete loop. It is a short, low-commitment outing rather than a summit hike, and it earns its name from the industrial history hidden in the landscape.
What you seeCross the road from the car park and climb beside the wall.
Cross the road from the car park and climb beside the wall. The path soon levels out, passing a rebuilt sheep fold, a rocky picnic knoll, and a stone believed to have been used to sharpen swords. The route then drops steeply toward Crummock Water and follows the lakeshore before turning uphill beside a wall to return to the start.
The views are the payoff: Crummock Water and Melbreak open up along the way, with the surrounding fells making the short walk feel bigger than its mileage. Near the shore, watch for a blackish section of path and scattered iron slag. Those are clues to medieval bloomeries, simple furnaces that smelted iron ore between roughly 1066 and 1485.
Effort and footingThe walk is easy overall, but it is not step-free or uniformly smooth.
The walk is easy overall, but it is not step-free or uniformly smooth. Expect steps, uneven ground, grassy tracks, and a short steep drop toward the lake. Wet weather makes the grass and slope slippery. Allow about one hour at a relaxed pace, with extra time for the archaeology and views.
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.
