Family fun - Grasmere and Red Bank Wood

The tall stands of ancient trees amongst Red Bank Woods and the shallow waters at the outlet of Grasmere lake make exciting places for some outdoor fun and games. Link them together with some easy walking and you have the makings of a memorable outdoor day for children young and old! This out and back loop walk is easy to follow and along the way you can stop off for a spot of den-building or, on a gently graded beach, indulge in a lunchtime picnic where, if it’s warm enough, the water is shallow enough for paddling.

Directions: (starting from the Grasmere National Trust shop)

1. Turn R out of the Grasmere NT shop and walk the short distance to the junction in front of the church. Turn R onto Red Bank Road, which is then followed for 1.4km to the access drive on the R for Hunting Stile.

2. Follow the footpath up the drive until it splits at the entrance to Red Bank Wood, take the LH path and follow it through the woods. The path is followed to re-join the Red Bank Road on the other side of the woods.

3. Turn R and follow Red Bank Road for 100m, a track on the L. Turn on to it and follow it through the trees for 180m to a path junction. The path on the R climbs steeply SE to the summit of Loughrigg Fell. The summit gives extensive panoramic views and is well worth the effort. A round trip up and down the same path will add roughly 1.5 hours to the day’s proceedings. The normal route continues on the bridleway straight ahead. This is Loughrigg Terrace, a very popular high-level path.

4. At its end the terrace meets a path at a wall. Turn sharp L on to this path and follow it to the footbridge and weir at the outlet of Grasmere lake. The lakeshore here is ideal for paddling and a picnic.

5. Head along the lakeshore until the path splits at the woods, take the R branch and foolow its easy course by the lake’s edge.

6. After 1km it turns sharp L and makes a short steep climb to the road. Join the Red Bank Road, turn R and follow down to Grasmere.

Further Information

This walk should take about 3 hours, covering a distance of 6.7km (4.2 miles) and height gain of 185m.