Rydal Cave Walk, Ambleside | 2 Miles | The Wandering Wildflower

Rydal Cave is a huge cavern below Loughrigg Fell. It’s one of the must-see things to visit in the Lake District and this scenic 2 mile walk explores the cave and the bluebells on Loughrigg Terrace, above Rydal Water. If you’re looking for free things to do in Ambleside, exploring the Rydal Caves is a great idea.

Rydal Cave is carved out of the north side of Loughrigg Fell. Although the cave looks natural it’s actually the result of slate quarrying which provided roofing slate to the surrounding villages. These days it’s a busy tourist attraction, especially during the summer months. If you want photos with no one else in them, you’ll have to get there very early!

A view out of the cave mouth from the inside — Despite it being a Monday afternoon in termtime there were still plenty of people milling around, including a school trip! I’ve had to badly photoshop people out!

This walk started from White Moss Car Park where there are public toilets and some picnic benches near the river. We parked up and walked through the woods along good, well marked trails to cross the river over a bridge which is suitable for wheelchair users.

After the bridge we walked through the woods for a short distance and the path split, so we took the right hand path onto Loughrigg Terrace, which has stunning views over Rydal Water and up the slopes of Loughrigg Fell which is covered in bluebells in early May.

The path winds its way east and soon arrives at the cave mouth, where you can see the stepping stones and the stagnant water (which has small fish in!). Some of the stepping stones are a bit loose and wobbly, so if you walk on them be prepared! You can get into the back of the cave without getting on the stepping stones though.

A cave mouth — It was raining by this point!

After exploring the cave we set off back, taking the path down the hillside which eventually re-joins the path we were on originally. We went back to the car and to our hotel (we stayed at The Bridge House Hotel which I highly recommend).

Rydal Cave Walk Details:

Walk Map (Opens in OS Maps): Rydal Caves Walk Map

Parking: White Moss Car Park, Ambleside LA22 9SE | W3W:///puzzles.nametag.users £5 for 2 hours. There are other laybys nearby which you might be able to park in for free.

Facilities: Toilets in White Moss Car Park

Walk Time: 1-2 hours

Difficulty: ▲

Distance: 2 miles (3.2km)

Trig Points Bagged: None

Wainwrights Bagged: None

For more nearby walks you might like:

Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag and Steel Fell | 7 Miles

Cathedral Cave and Hodge Close Quarry | 4 Miles