Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts from the Stock Lane car park in Grasmere. It crosses the A591 and follows a lane to Greenhead Gill, where a path crosses the stream and climbs beside a wall, then zigzags up the fellside to Alcock Tarn, a small tarn in a hollow. The way down passes through a gap in the wall and descends steeply over a rocky path with views over the Vale of Grasmere, past a small pond and a tiny packhorse-style bridge, to the lane by Dove Cottage and back to the village.
It is 5.5 km with 328 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: short, but steep in places.
The top around the tarn can be very boggy in autumn and winter. The Thirlmere aqueduct, which has carried water to Manchester since 1894, crosses Greenhead Gill, and an Elizabethan lead mine once worked in the gill. The walk crosses the busy A591 twice.
Stock Lane car park charges a fee. The 555 bus stops in Grasmere. The nearest railway station is Windermere, about 11 km away.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Up beside Greenhead Gill to Alcock Tarn, a small tarn high above the Vale of Grasmere
- Down past a little packhorse-style bridge and Dove Cottage
- The Thirlmere aqueduct, carrying water to Manchester since 1894, crosses Greenhead Gill
Getting there
Start: Stock Lane car park, Grasmere · Pay and display. 54.45655, -3.02024
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Stock Lane car park: Booking.com → Expedia →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.
