A Glenridding Circular
Walk date – 19th September 2026
Distance – 3.5 miles
Weather – no sun, a few showers, overcast, cool and damp, breezy
Only a short walk today as the current spell of weather is quite miserable and, as ten days have passed since our last outing, we were impatient to be outdoors again. Glenridding is not a long drive from where we live, some 20 miles or thereabouts, from which number of low level walks are available. Today’s forecast was for more strong winds and strenuous walking conditions, and we’ve had more than enough of those over the years, so we decided on one of them. Even at low level it was quite breezy at times and we had a few short rain showers although not enough to warrant putting waterproofs on.
Route
Glenridding – Greenside Road – Greenside mine – bridge across Glenridding beck – footpath down to Gillside – Rattlebeck Bridge – Glenridding
Having found a parking space in Glenridding’s car park (full as usual) we set off up the Greenside road passing the Travellers Rest pub about 11.45 am. We didn’t go in but planned to pay a visit when we returned. Knowing that we were only going to take a short walk we waited at home for a while to see if the weather would brighten up a little but it didn’t. Behind the pub in the above shot is Heron Pike, a subsidiary top of Sheffield Pike. Sheffield Pike summit can’t be seen in the shot since it is much further back behind Heron Pike. Last time we were up there was in 2019 so a re-visit is due, methinks.
We continued on up the Greenside mine road where a gap in the trees along the way provided a fine view of Birkhouse Moor. The view would have been better if the cloud hadn’t been so thick and heavy. A few chinks to let the sunlight through would have been much appreciated but it wasn’t to be.
Glenridding beck below as we continued on up towards the mine area. Lots of white water rushing down it today and all the rocks, stones and pebbles lining the banks were a reminder of 2015 and Storm Desmond.
Stang End comes into view as we progress along the track up to the mine area. When I took the shot the group of three male walkers behind us stopped to put on their jackets as it had now started to rain. I was having to wipe my specs, and the camera lens, clear of raindrops at the time so I didn’t quite catch what one of them said as they passed by us, something about clothing having to be put on and then taken off again during a walk, I think. We know that feeling all too well. Many times we’ve started out on a walk in one set of walking gear only to have the weather change on us and then having to add or remove layers accordingly.
The rain showers continued on and off from then on, each one adding their small contribution to the rushing waters of Glenridding beck, and to my specs!
At the Greenside mining area now with Stang End now looking a little misty through the showery rain. Swart Beck, over on the right, looks as though it has a patch of snow above it but it wasn’t snow, just a torrent of white water flowing down the fell side.
Swart beck was in full flow today …..
….. and here’s the view, from the other side of the bridge, as it roared down and joined Glenridding beck.
Water pouring down over a series of man made structures in the mining area below Stang End as we made our way up to the bridge across Glenridding beck …..
….. but that not it! Its a hydro-electric facility which has been installed just below it. Plenty of water was thundering over it today.
The rain showers had finally stopped as we approached the gated footbridge across the beck. Presumably it has a gate across the middle of it to prevent sheep wandering across the bridge and reaching areas where they’re not supposed to be.
The view upstream from the footbridge as the white water thundered below us. After crossing the bridge we turned left onto …..
….. the narrow track leading back down to Glenridding. It was running with water for the majority of the walk back down and our trouser hems were soaked.
Now we were on the opposite side of Glenridding beck we were able to have a better look at the hydro-electric installation. The path we walked across up to the footbridge is behind and above it.
The mining area at Greenside with Swart beck pouring down alongside it.
A little further along the path and the buildings came into view. Most of the buildings were demolished when the mine closed in 1962 but some remain and have been put to use as leisure and community assets. These include a Youth Hostel, an Outward Bound centre and one of the buildings houses the Lake District Ski Club’s facilities.
A look back towards the mining area and its various buildings. The building towards the bottom right of the shot is now the YHA, when the mine was being worked it was used as the mine workers bunkhouse. There are some good views from this high path but further down we left it and proceeded along a lower one.
All went well as we walked along, although it was still running with water. It was at this point where we had doubts about that decision. Looking up we could see a bridge crossing the beck on the higher path we had diverted from but there was no bridge across Bleacove beck at this point. A bridge wouldn’t be needed anyway as the area is quite flat and could be crossed quite easily. However things were a little different today. The beck was full and water had gathered across the flatter area and was covering most of the stones which could normally be simply walked across. There was nothing for it, if you wanted dry boots, but to step carefully across using whatever stones had managed to poke up above the water level. J managed it in two strides but being rather short in the leg department I had to take several. Even then I still managed to get wet feet!
There were no more ‘incidents’ as we made our way back down to Glenridding. On the way the clouds brightened and allowed a little more light onto Glenridding Dodd. The steep and very loose path up Glenridding Dodd, known as The Rake, can be seen quite clearly, in its initial stages at least, before it disappears among the bracken.
The same brightening of the sky offered the chance of a shot of Place Fell, albeit a very muted one, with a patch of Ullswater and Glenridding village below it. We even saw a couple of very small blue bits!
Eventually we made our way down to Rattlebeck Bridge and I accidentally included a walker approaching it from the other side. He wasn’t in the shot when I took the photo but there he is just appearing round the bend in the road. A little way up the hill we had a chat with a group of male walkers, who had walked from Pooley Bridge back to Glenridding, and who asked us what the name of ‘that big mountain in front of us’ was. One of them was pointing towards Birkhouse Moor so we told them what its name was. Had we ever been up there was the next question, to which we replied yes, several times. Then we asked them if they were planning to walk up it themselves, their response was ‘No, because it looked too steep.’ After a little more chat we parted company and they looked to be making their over to the camping site at Gillside.
The view upstream from the bridge where the water in Glenridding beck was definitely ‘rattling’ along. Viewers will no doubt groan at my very obvious attempt at a pun!
Walking down into the village now where the sky is as full of cloud as it was at the beginning of our walk. The ‘blue bits’ have disappeared and all is back to what it looked like when we started out. We eventually walked back to the car park and then drove home, but not until we had called in at the pub where J enjoyed a pint of Wainwright Gold, I had a half of lager and we had shared a tray of chips. You might want to have a look at the price list before deciding to have a full meal there though!