This is a good one if you want a mix of lake, village and a bit of literary history without turning it into a full day on the fells. The Grasmere and Rydal Water circular is mapped on OS Maps, comes in at around six miles, and takes three hours or so at a relaxed pace.
Starting the walk at White Moss Common
Start from the White Moss Common car park, which sits between Grasmere and Rydal on the A591 and usually has decent space, with toilets at the main one. Cross the road and pick up the wide path that climbs gently away from the car park.
Dove Cottage
The path soon reaches Dove Cottage, where William Wordsworth lived from 1799 to 1808 with his sister Dorothy. This is where he wrote most of the poetry he’s remembered for, and where the two of them kept what he called their “little nook of mountain-ground,” a wild garden he was famously fond of.
The Coffin Road to Rydal
Past the cottage the path continues by White Moss Tarn, also known as Skater’s Tarn or Wordsworth’s Tarn depending who you ask, before joining what’s still called the Coffin Road. The path is easy underfoot the whole way along this stretch.
Rydal Mount and the shore of Rydal Water
At Rydal you’ll pass Rydal Mount, Wordsworth’s home from 1813 until his death in 1850, a bigger house than Dove Cottage that came with his growing success as a poet. From here the path drops down to Rydal Water itself, and the walk along its southern shore, known as Loughrigg Terrace, gives some of the best views back over both lakes on the whole route.
Rydal Caves
If the weather’s been dry, it’s worth the short detour up to Rydal Caves, old quarry workings you can walk right into. Bring a torch if you have one, the back corners get genuinely dark, and mind your dog on the stepping stones inside if the ground’s wet.
Back around Grasmere Lake
The path continues around to Grasmere Lake itself, following the shore back toward the village. A café near the lake hires out rowing boats if you fancy getting out on the water instead of walking round it, though that’s obviously not an option with your dog in tow unless the boat’s big enough for both of you.
Finishing in the village
Back in the village, St Oswald’s Church is where Wordsworth is buried, and right next to it is the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, which queues out the door most of the summer. Grasmere itself has plenty of shops, cafés and a couple of outdoor gear stores if you’ve forgotten anything, plus several car parks if White Moss Common is full when you arrive.
The practical bits
Sheep graze the open fell sections above both lakes, so keep your dog on the lead once the path climbs away from the water, and there’s livestock on some of the lower pasture too. Most of the route around the lakeshores themselves is calm enough for your dog to walk off the lead.
Grasmere sits within reach of the wider Lake District collection we curate, close enough to Ambleside and Rydal that a slower version of this walk, or a longer one, is easy to arrange depending on how the day’s going.
