A delightful path takes you along the River Rothay and away from the busy streets of this popular village - OS Explorer Map OL7. A longer 2.25km walk is available from the A591 lay-by.
Starting from Broadgate car park, head over the footbridge from the board giving information about the route. Bird life abounds in the river: look out for ducks, dippers, wagtails and the blue flash of a kingfisher.
Cross another bridge and continue along the Rothay with the river on your left-hand side. You will soon reach the Millennium Bridge. Go straight on, but if you do cross the bridge and turn right you reach Stock Lane car park, where there are toilets. You can also turn left along a hedged path to the A591 and a lay-by on the other side of the road, an alternative start if the village car parks are full.
Go beyond the bridge and follow the path to the road. Turn left, past the gingerbread shop - if you can resist the famed delicacy - and through the churchyard's lych-gate. St. Oswald's is the parish church of Grasmere, Rydal and Langdale. Each 'township' has its own separate gate into the churchyard. William Wordsworth is buried here - he died in 1850 and there is a memorial inside the church, as well as his gravestone outside.
Retrace your steps out of the churchyard. You can go back along the riverside or wander through bustling Grasmere.
Postcode: LA22 9TA
Grid reference: NY 338077
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Grid reference: NY 339073 (Stock Lane CP); NY 341075 (Layby on A591)
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Toilets at Stock Lane CP have male & female toilets (50p) with baby changing facilities plus a separate entrance for disabled toilets (radar key required). There are also toilets on College Street (which also require a radar key which can be collected from a local shop) Disabled parking spaces, toilets and refreshments in Grasmere.
Bus: 555 and 599 services operate regularly to Grasmere from Ambleside and Keswick. In Grasmere bus stop near the Primary School is more accessible for wheelchair users.
Car: take the A591 from either Ambleside or Keswick.
