Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk: Route Guide, Map & Parking

The Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk is a great, low level Lake District walk, taking you to one of the most iconic places to visit in the National Park. Not only is it incredibly atmospheric inside, but it also puts into context some of the Lake District’s history as the cave is actually a disused slate quarry.  

Cathedral Cave’s name comes from the pillar like rock formations inside and the windows in the slate that allow natural light in and illuminate different parts of the cave like spotlights. The caves are cool to explore, but the landscape you walk through to get there is incredibly beautiful too.

Many people do this specific route from Elterwater because of the reliable parking there, but I think this misses a lot of what makes this particular walk special.

Between Elterwater and Cathedral Cave, you’ll get to see spectacular views of some of the most iconic mountains in the central Lake District, a lot of it you probably won’t be expecting. Think of it more as a scenic Lake District walk which includes a cave, rather than just a route to a cave.

My Cathedral Cave from Elterwater route below in this guide is 6.47km/ 4 miles with 294m/ 965ft. of ascent. It takes roughly three hours to complete, but you may want to give yourself half a day if you want to explore the caves in more detail. Whilst it is easier to moderate in places, it is possible as a family friendly Lake District walk if you’re all used to walking over uneven terrain.

In my guide below, you’ll find everything you need for the walk, including a downloadable map, what to expect and other route ideas in the area.

Helpful hint: You’ll probably notice Cathedral Cave also referred to as Cathedral Cavern, Cathedral Quarry or Cathedral Quarries. They’re all referring to the same slate cavern and quarry above Little Langdale and are used interchangeably.

Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk: Quick Stats

Distance: 6.47km/ 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 294m/ 965ft. ascent
Approx Time Needed: 3 hours, but more if you want to explore the caves for a while too.
Difficulty: Easier to moderate in places: even though this is a low level Lake District walk, there is a decent amount of ascent and descent throughout. The trail you’ll follow for the Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk also has quite a lot of uneven terrain. Though I do think this is a family friendly Lake District walk if your children are used to what to expect outdoors and hiking some distance.

Start Point: Elterwater National Trust Car Park
Route Type: Mostly Linear/Out and Back (with one small ‘loop’ section on this Elterwater walk near Little Langdale (see map below).

Our Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk Downloadable Route Map

I’ve included a downloadable map for my Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk route through our AllTrails widget. Once you’ve clicked on the Cathedral Cave map below, you can use it in a couple of ways.

First option is to save it to your own AllTrails account. You can then download it for offline use and navigate using the AllTrails app on your phone.

If you want a paper copy instead, you can save the Cathedral Cave walk map as a pdf from AllTrails and print it out. You can also download as a GPX file and use it with the mapping software you choose. There’s also a Garmin compatible option too.

Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk: What to Expect

I think many people who do this specific Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk more because it’s a good place to park for it, but I really think that ignores a lot of what makes this walk really special. This is an incredibly scenic Lake District walk and gives you a lot you won’t expect.

I’ve grown to see this more as a walk where you get to go to a very cool cave on the route, rather than it just being a route to a cave. In fact, you get to see some of the most iconic mountain views in the heart of central Lake District along it.

As you leave Elterwater, you’ll start hitting woodland. I love going up through this section. It feels dense on either side of you, covered with small streams, interesting tree shapes and in some ways a little unexpected. This is such a nice section to enjoy. If you visit in spring, you’ll be treated to the intense smell of wild garlic all around you and a lot of rhododendrons.

The trail through the woodland does start to climb uphill and some of the tree roots, steps and rocks can be quite slippery. Especially after it’s been raining. Likewise, it can be a big boggy in places too, so you do have to pay attention a little more here at times.

The gravel trail, which has become more graded and even through the woodland starts to open out to some of the first iconic views out over the mountains you’ll have seen so far on the walk toward Little Langdale.

At this point, my ‘loop’ section of the route begins (see map for details). I love taking this fork to the left for the outbound section as you get some really beautiful views out toward the Langdales and over to the valley where the cave is.

You soon reach Little Langdale after you’ve been enjoying the views out. It’s a really pretty little village, but it really is more just a few houses. It feels like a picture postcard with traditional Lake District houses and the view of the mountains behind.

At this stage you walk along the road for a short distance past the Three Shires Inn. Then down another small road for a while until you reach the River Brathay and cross Slater Bridge. Don’t worry about this as they are very, very minor roads. Cars do not drive quickly along these roads, but just stay visible but it’s completely safe.

You’ll cross Slater’s Bridge to get over the river for the last section just before Cathedral Quarry. It’s iconic, but the best views, if you do want to take a photo of it, are actually with a longer lens as you’re walking back towards it for the return leg. I also love the view looking back over it toward the mountains you’ve just walked through.

After the bridge, you’ll shortly reach a gate where there’s a sign to head left for the cave. You’ll walk a short distance before there’s a branch on the path to the right with another sign to the cave. There’s then a short uphill section on this trail to get into the start of Cathedral Quarry Cavern.

At the cave, there is a tunnel in the rocks that you walk through (it’s tall enough to walk under without bending down). Many people get their camera out at this point to give them light, but if you walk for a few steps, your eyes will start to adjust (and is actually better when you get into the main chamber).

When you’ve walked through the tunnel, you’re in the Cathedral Cave ‘main chamber’. It’s a pretty amazing place to be. It doesn’t matter how busy it is, it still feels incredibly atmospheric.

If the sun is shining outside, the shafts of light coming through the holes on the top of the cave do something really magical and illuminate certain rocks and areas like a spotlight.

The main iconic feature of the chamber in Cathedral Cavern is the ‘supporting’ rock as I’ve grown to call it. It’s an incredible structure that’s tall and thin, which has formed to make a support that connects to the top and bottom of the cave.

There’s plenty more to explore in Cathedral Caves, and you can go through to different sections from the main chamber to see all of the old slate quarry detail, take photos and just look at all of the incredible textures and formations in the rocks.

I don’t think you really need to give yourself more than 20 minutes in the caves, unless you want to explore in more detail. Some of the rocks in other areas can be a little bit slippery and there is always the risk of rockfall in these areas too and there are barriers around certain areas to stop people climbing on them.

From the cave you go back out the same way and head back toward Slater’s Bridge. If you want to get a pretty iconic Lake District shot, just wait a few minutes and you will no doubt be able to get the bridge free of people to take a photo.

Until Little Langdale you’ll take the same route you came out on. You could just take the exact same route back all the way to Elterwater, but if you take the return adjustment at Little Langdale I’ve made (see the map for this slight loop), you’ll get to walk through this gorgeous farmyard.

They often have a small food stall set up here with home-made cakes for sale which are well worth trying as they are incredibly good! Most of the time, it also seems that the cake stall is minded by a very cute little dog.

After this slight loop, you meet back up with the main trail you came in on back to Elterwater and follow the trail across the hills and back through the woodland. The views on the way back are pretty special too!

Key Highlights

Best Views & Photo Spots

Of course, some of the best photo spots along the walk are in the caves themselves. There’s plenty to explore, and you can go through to different sections from the main chamber, take photos and just look at all of the incredible details and textures in the rocks.

There’s also sometimes water and bigger puddles depending on the rainfall recently which can act as mirrors depending on the light. This can make for some great photos where you get a reflection of the rock formations.

Exploring the chambers and the cave is really fun, but there’s plenty more views on the walk that make for great photos. The hills between Elterwater and Little Langdale give you some really iconic views and make for a pretty dramatic Lake District walk.

At times, there has been hail stone in the foreground with sun shining on the Langdales in the background. Scenes like this just feel unreal and make this walk really special.

From these hills you also have the Langdales on one side and the Grasmere peaks on the other. This can look amazing toward the end of the day. There’s also a point when you’re higher than Elter Water itself and you can see the three lakes which is beautiful.

There’s of course Slater’s Bridge too, which is an iconic stone bridge that crosses the River Brathay just before (or after) Cathedral Cave/Cathedral Quarry. There’s a pretty iconic view of this looking down the river towards it with the fells in the background. This is one that’s well worth sticking around for a few minutes if it’s busy to get a shot of.

Seasonal Differences

This is a low level Lake District walk so it’s good to do year round, and the views look incredible year round.

It’s particularly good in autumn when the leaves start to change colour. In the winter, it’s also a good one on days when some of the higher fells might not be as easy to get to.

Elterwater to Cathedral Cavern Walk: Difficulty Breakdown

Technical Difficulty

This isn’t a particularly technical walk, and what stops it being classed as just an easy Lake District walk is that there are quite a few rocks, slippery steps, stiles and potential muddy sections that mean you have to pay close attention.

That said, if you are looking for something to do with your kids and they’re used to walking some distance, then this makes a great family friendly Lake District walk.

Exposure

There is no real exposure at all on this one, and it’s a good low-level Lake District walk for rainier days when some of the higher peaks may be a bit less accessible.

Navigation

There are some sections on this Elterwater walk to Cathedral Cave where you need to pay attention. Particularly on the section between Elterwater and Little Langdale, where the trail feels less obvious in parts.

Over time, areas in the Lake District erode and change so you can find yourself with ‘adjusted paths’ but due to the fact that this is a pretty low-level walk, you won’t find yourself in any trouble if you do veer off a little. It’s just something to be aware of, rather than worry about.

Steepness

There aren’t really any areas as such that feel particularly steep. On the way out of Elterwater, you are aware that you’re going uphill, and again through the woodland down to Little Langdale. The same on the return, but none of it feels unmanageable in the slightest.

Why I Personally Love the Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk

For me, this is an incredibly dramatic Lake District walk. Sure, there are higher peaks, views that will take your breath away and everything in between. But that isn’t always the point.

I think when I first did this Elterwater walk, I didn’t even realise that you could get down to the Cathedral Quarry. We’d just planned out this walk to Little Langdale and loved everything we experienced.

Then it became clear that it was really easy to also add on the quarry walk to. I suppose at this point, I was still getting my bearings when I first moved to the Lake District. It then became clear that this is actually one of the main routes down to Cathedral Caves anyway due to the handy parking at Elterwater.

What I’ve since learnt is that a lot of people who do this walk think it’s just about the caves and see this as the main attraction. What that misses off is that you’re walking through some of the most iconic central Lake District scenery there is.

I think because of the way I first explored this walk; learning that the caves actually connect up with it anyway, I was able to get an appreciation for what else exists along it.

For me, the cave is a highlight among others rather than the main highlight itself.

Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk: Parking & Transport

Parking

The best place for the Cathedral Cave walk parking is the Elterwater National Trust car park. This puts you right at the start of the walk.

This car park is the starting point for other walks in the area, so it can fill up quickly. Especially in school holidays and at weekends. However, you can usually wait for a few minutes in the main car park and find a spot as it’s pretty fluid.

There is some on street parking as you approach Elterwater in the car. This is allowed (at present) if there is space and doesn’t obstruct other vehicles getting past.

It’s possible to pay by card and contactless at the machine. You can also use the  JustPark app. Download and set it up it in advance if you don’t have it already as signal in this area isn’t great.

Elterwater car park is free for National Trust members by scanning your card at the machine. It’s also free for Blue Badge holders. For others, I’ve listed the standard pricing below, though this can of course change:

– Up to 2 hours: £5.50
– 2 to 4 hours: £7.50
– All day: £9.00

This isn’t the quickest route to the caves, there are shorter routes which can take about 15/20 minutes of walking to get there (but I do think this is the best route to Cathedral Cave).

These routes are reliant on being able to park in laybys or small car parks in fields that farmers sometimes open up. They are not always open at all. A lot of these parking areas require you to have cash too.

There is also no parking unless you’re a guest of the hotel at Three Shires Inn in Little Langdale. Smaller car parks like these are more likely to be open in summer, but if you want a better chance of parking without having to drive around in hope trying to find one, I really do recommend the parking in Elterwater which is a proper pay and display.

Public Transport

You can get a bus to Elterwater, but it isn’t particularly frequent so it takes a bit of planning ahead if you want to make use of it for this walk. It is also a good option in busier periods.

The 516 bus goes from Ambleside to Dungeon Gyhll about every 60 minutes. The bus stops in Elterwater at The Britania Inn, which is across the road from the National Trust Car Park where the Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk starts from.  

In Ambleside, which is a bigger transport connector, there are plenty of other buses that will get you to and from different areas to make this walk possible on public transport.

I’ve included a link to the timetable for the 516 bus, but you can also just use Google Maps to plan, and this also gives you the option to plan your whole route.

Elterwater to Cathedral Cavern: Route Extensions & Other Walks in the Area

In terms of a route extension, Lingmoor Fell allows you to add something fuller on. If you wanted to do this, I’d suggest connecting on the trail that heads up just along from Little Langdale and the farm on the return leg.

After reaching the top of Lingmoor, you could then take the route down the back of the fell and meet back up further down along the trail back to Elterwater.

For transparency, I haven’t done this exact route up and down Lingmoor Fell, the times I’ve done it have been from Blea Tarn. The main reason I’ve added this extension is because it’s a pretty iconic fell, but from my experience, the trails on this mountain can be a bit sketchy in parts.

The route I’ve done before (and also on other occasions to Lingmoor Tarn), wasn’t always in the best of shape, so I can only assume this route will be similar given that this mountain doesn’t have a ‘key route’ as such.

However, if you’re used to hiking, have done some stuff in the Lakes before and know what to expect, it should be well within reach and would turn this into a pretty full on day in the mountains.

There are also several other walks in the area that complement the Elterwater to Cathedral Cave walk well. The main one would be the Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge and Skelwith Force walk, which we also have a guide on. This also makes it possible to pass by one of the best cafes in the area, Chesters by the River.

This is a great family friendly walk too and is along a well graded path, making it one of the best walks near Elterwater for wheelchair access too.

From Elterwater, you’re also really close to the Loughrigg Fell walk, which we have a guide to as well. You can head up from Elterwater toward Loughrigg Terrace and connect really easily from there. However, you can also drive closer (covered in the guide above) as this is one I’d save for another day.

If you love caves, then the Rydal Cave walk is a must do as well. Our guide linked guide here covers everything again that you need to know for this one. It’s also very close to Elterwater, but I’d advise doing this walk on a separate day too, and you use can use the same parking for this that you will for Loughrigg Fell.

These are just a couple of ideas for Elterwater and Little Langdale walks and that doesn’t even scratch the surface. There are so many walks from Elterwater, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice.

It’s possible to experience iconic fells in (even a bit further afield into the Langdales, Grasmere etc) as well as more ‘ground level’ interest places like the caves, lakes and woodlands all around.

What to Bring on the Elterwater to Cathedral Cave Walk

This is a pretty simple low level Lake District walk, but the weather can change really quickly and there are some sections that can become muddy (and slippery/boggy) through the year. This is the loose list I’d recommend, depending on different times of year:

• Waterproof jacket (and waterproof pants depending on just how much rain is forecast)
• Waterproof hiking shoes or boots: you can often find the path saturated, especially sections over hillside
• Warm layers including an insulated jacket, like many cave walks in the Lake District, it can get quite cold, especially in the cave chambers
• Gloves and a hat (or a sun hat and sunglasses in summer)
• Water and snacks
• Map saved offline: Whilst this is a pretty easy Lake District walk to navigate, there are some twists and turns that require some attention. Signal is patchy so it’s always good to be prepared
• A headlamp for the caves: depending what time of day you visit, they can feel dark very easily

I’d also recommend reading the guides on our sister site, This Expansive Adventure and our dedicated gear guides for all the essentials we’d recommend for hiking in the Lake District.

Why Trust Our Lake District Walking Guides

This Cathedral Cave Lake District walk guide has been written by someone who lives in the Lake District and is full of tips that you won’t find quite like it anywhere else. The aim with all our guides is to give you the information you actually need, including maps and the right level of detail to get you out and feel prepared.

When I write a walking guide, it means I’ve done this walk multiple times, assessed it using my years of experience in the fells and spent time thinking in detail about what is actually important for you to know.

This walk from Elterwater to Cathedral Cave is no different, I return to it pretty often. Though for me, it’s more about the views on the way to the cave at this point. I love exploring this area.  

This just means that when you know what to expect, it’ll feel safer, you’ll feel better prepared and overall, this has a better impact on you and the place you’re visiting, so it’s a win-win.