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Elter Water

A tiny, reedy lake at the mouth of Langdale with a classic view to the Langdale Pikes and an easy riverside path to Skelwith Force.

Elter Water in autumn sunshine with reed beds and the Langdale Pikes beyond
Photo: Anthony Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Elter Water is one of the smallest lakes in the Lake District, less than a kilometre long and very shallow, lying at the mouth of Great Langdale near the village of Elterwater. It is reedy and irregular in shape, almost three small pools joined together, and it is fed by the Great Langdale Beck and drained by the River Brathay.

Its size belies its fame. The view across the lake to the Langdale Pikes, with the reeds and the water in the foreground, is one of the classic images of the Lake District, especially in autumn and on still winter mornings. Wildfowl are often seen on the water and in the reeds.

A path runs along the southern side of the lake from the village of Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge, passing Skelwith Force, a short, powerful waterfall. It is flat, easy and suitable for families, and it is part of the Cumbria Way. The village of Elterwater has the Britannia Inn and a small green. Autumn is the classic time for photographs, when the reeds and bracken turn golden, and early mornings are often misty and still.

There is no path right round the lake, and the lake itself is mostly hidden by reeds and trees from the road. Parking in Elterwater village is limited and fills early. The 516 bus from Ambleside stops in the village.