Loughrigg Fell is a fairly small, compact fell overlooking Grasmere and Elterwater to the west and Ambleside and Lake Windermere to the east. Being so close to these places it can be quite busy, particularly on fine days. Plenty of family groups seem to be able to manage the ascent and descent, even with quite young children. It is not too difficult a stroll and has a couple of easy scrambles for the more adventurous.

Loughrigg is easily accessible on all sides from Ambleside, Clappersgate, Rydal, Grasmere and Elterwater. Therefore you are never too far away from a path back down to civilisation if the weather does take a turn for the worse.

To see larger images, click on the thumbnails.

Some care is needed on Loughrigg as there are enough tracks, paths and junctions to give a GPS a headache. The views are well worth the effort. From the summit of Loughrigg itself you can see the following stretches of water:

• Windermere
• Elterwater
• Coniston
• Grasmere
• Thirlmere - just a small glimpse through the valley

At the south west corner below the fell is Loughrigg Tarn. To the north is Rydal Water and Rydal Caves. From Todd Crag at the eastern end of the fell is a fine, almost birds-eye view of Galava. These are remains of the Roman fort lying on the shore of lake Windermere, on the southern outskirts of Ambleside. Lily Tarn lies on Loughrigg just behind Todd Crag.

Loughrigg Fell has the makings of a decent day out for most people. If you are really lucky you just might catch sight of the deer in the woods above Clappersgate.

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Stuart Banner