An Ambleside Waterfalls Wander - Stockghyll Force and Blue Hill Wood
For those people looking for something a little bit longer than our simple Stockghyll Force walk, this is a great little wander around the environs of Ambleside.
Stock Ghyll is a tributary of the River Rothay, draining eventually into Windermere, it has a heavily industrialised past and used to be nicknamed Rattle Ghyll. Many of the old mill buildings whose wheels it used to turn can still be seen in Ambleside. Some are used as shops. They used to produce bobbins for silk and cotton thread, to process wool so it was warm and tough, as well as grinding corn.
The fall in Blue Hill Woods is rather smaller in comparison and is tucked well out of the way in a small clearing overlooking the town. Above it, on the nose of Wansfell Pike are some the best views of the town for only modest effort. An odd pillar, marked by Wainwright as "tower" in his book The Far Eastern Fells: Wansfell 3, stands nearby.
Parking in Ambleside is reasonably plentiful although it does get busy at holiday times. There is the main car park above the town centre on the A591 towards Rydal. And for longer stays the Miller Field car park at the bottom end of town is large and often has space when the other has filled up. There are a couple of smaller car parks dotted around too.
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Paul and Beth
The Langdale Pikes From Ambleside
- Maps:
50K: 90
25K: OL7
- Start:
- NY376045 (get directions via Google Maps)
- Near to:
- Ambleside, Grasmere village, Windermere
- Tags:
- circular, waterfalls
- Distance:
- 5.1km (3.2 miles)
- Ascent:
- 273m
- Min. time:
- 1 hrs 29 mins
- View in 3-D:
-
- Terrain:
- 2 - rough
- Bog Factor:
- 2 - soft
- Tech Diff:
- 2 - basic map reading
Reasonably gentle wander on road, pavement, rough tracks and paths. - Dog issues:
- Includes stiles or other dog obstacles.
Stone steps lead up to a stile with a dog gate, most dogs should have little trouble.
Purchases:
Buy walk in Adobe/PDF format to print or for your phone or tablet
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Walk height profile
note that gradients are usually grossly exaggerated
Route Description
The walk starts outside the Tourist Information centre at the top of the town centre outside which you will find a stone pillar on a three stepped octagonal base with "1651" carved into the top of it. Head south east following the one way system and as the road swings around to the right continue forward down a narrow lane signposted "toilets".
As you reach the toilets a sign on the wall in front of you declares "To the Waterfalls", pointing left, and a sign on the wall to your left says "Stockghyll" and "Wansfell Pike". Bear left to follow the lane up the hill and then round to the right. Stockghyll is now on your left.
In 500m (550 yards) bear left for the entrance to Stockghyll Woods.
Entrance to Stockghyll Lane, Ambleside
Stockghyll Lane, Ambleside
Gate to Stockghyll Force, Ambleside
Follow the rough path through the woods. Bear right, keeping the beck on your left, and follow the red arrow marker posts. There are a few precarious viewing places protected by fencing.
Nearing the top, before the bridge, bear right at the picnic bench and sign to the revolving gate.
Stockghyll Force, Ambleside
Turnstile Gate at upper Stockghyll Woods
Go through the gate and out onto the road. Turn left and carry on up the hill. Cross the cattle grid.
In 250m (275 yards) climb up the stone steps on your right to the stile, with dog gate, it is signposted "Footpath to Troutbeck via Wansfell Pike".
Follow the path beyond up beside the beck to the gate at the top of the field. Turn right through the gate into the lane.
Footpath to Troutbeck via Wansfell Pike
Snarker Pike and Red Screes
Continue along this lane back towards Ambleside. Just before reaching the houses a track and gateway on your left goes up to Blue Hill woods. Turn left here and go through the gate, and continue up the rough track.
At the wall end bear left and continue climbing on a narrow path through the trees. Pass the old iron gates on either side of you, and continue to the wooden gate at the top.
Bear right through the gate, cross the stream, and then bear left on a path through bracken below a knoll. Bear right and head for the pillar, unmarked even on the the OS 25K map. Beyond is a small knoll, it should be called Pillar Pike perhaps. There is a great view over Ambleside from here. How many of the hills can you name...
Gateway to Blue Hill Wood
View Across Ambleside to Langdale, Nab Scar
Return to the gateway and drop back down through the wood. As you reach the wall corner again, this time bear left, cross the boggy area into what looks like an old quarry. Unless it has been very dry there is a small waterfall here tumbling over the rock face at the back.
Blue Hill Wood
Blue Hill Waterfall
Return back to the path and drop back down beside the wall to the gate and lane. Turn left and descend into Ambleside.
Reaching the road above the Backpackers Hostel bear right and continue along the road towards the town centre.
At the shops bear right to continue back to the town centre.
View Across Ambleside to Nab Scar
If you like this walk then why not try one of our other nearby walks:
Unless otherwise stated the text in this walk is the copyright of Hug Solutions Ltd trading as The Hug and the photographs are the copyright of Elizabeth Oldham. Hill data is derived from Database of British and Irish hills which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Maps contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 and paths © OpenStreetMap Contributors,CC-BY-SA, 2011