Tilberthwaite
distance:
4 km
difficulty:
Moderate
ascent:
130 metres
duration:
1 hrs
Summary.
A short and scenic circle through this quiet offshoot of Little Langdale, in which beautiful woodland now clothes the old quarries and slate spoil heaps of Lakeland’s bygone industrial age. The outward leg is very straightforward, on bridleways and green lanes. The homeward half of the walk includes short sections of ascent and boggy stretches, and requires more careful routefollowing.
Route / description.
- Park close in to the side of the road at the T-junction in Little Langdale Village (Grid Ref. 316034). Take the lane signed “Tilberthwaite. Not Recommended for Cars”. Follow this down to the river, where it becomes a rough track. Cross the footbridge and continue straight along the track that enters the National Trust woods of Atkinson Coppice (ignoring the track to the right and footpath to the left, which follow the river).
- The track forks almost straight away; take the right fork – the track with the stone wall on its right. After passing an isolated house, the track passes through a gate at a National Trust sign for “Tilberthwaite”, and winds onwards through oak and birch woodland, and fields, passing the first of many slate spoil heaps from the old quarries hidden in the trees. Ignore a left fork – that heads off to the old quarries and extreme rock climber’s playground of Hodge Close; continue to follow the track as it veers right and gently up through woodland. A little later, another track merges from the right; continue to follow the track straight ahead, past a quarried cave on the right and through a gate. Eventually the track turns to the right as it breasts a rise, and descends to High Tilberthwaite Farm.
- Pass through a gate into the farmyard and immediately right through a second gate to double-back towards Little Langdale on another bridleway. This climbs up between birch and gorse, emerging onto more open grazing land with views of the foothills of the Coniston Fells to the left, and Fairfield and the eastern fells to the right. The path levels out before steepening for a second section of ascent.
- Just as the path begins to level out a second time, at a plateau of boggy fellside, turn right off the bridleway to follow an indistinct grassy path. Although the path itself is often vague, it follows a conveniently distinct landmark – the wall bounding the western edge of Atkinson Plantation. Continue to follow the wall northwards, across often-boggy fellside, until the ground begins to descend. Follow the wall down -slope until you reach another wall that cuts horizontally across the hillside. Take a stile with a handrail across this and continue to descend, parallel to – but a little further to the left of – the plantation wall. Very near the bottom of the hillside, pass through a gate that leads into the remains of another old quarry site. Follow the path sharply to the right to meet a track.
- Turn left onto the track and, after only 40 paces or so, turn right by a choice of stile or gate, to reach Slater’s Bridge. Very shortly after crossing the Bridge, take a path to the right. This passes through a wall and leads gently up and then down through a succession of fields to bring back onto the lane on
- which the walk began. Turn left up the lane to regain Little Langdale Village.