Rest Days
Rest days can be incorporated into any walking holiday package at an additional £50.00 per person per night

Solo Travellers
Solo travellers please contact us or use the booking form to send your proposed itinerary including dates, and we will price accordingly. Where possible, we take advantage of existing bookings from other clients to ensure you receive a cost effective service.

Alternative Itineraries
For alternative itineraries to those provided for this route, please contact us, or use the Booking Form to submit your proposed itinerary and number of participants and we will quote accordingly.

Walking Season Dates
Prices are based on the walk starting after 1st April and ending before 30th September. For walks outside those dates, please contact us. We provide a reduced out of season service, but still manage to meet the needs of most customers who contact us during this period.

Walk Information

The Westmorland Way is a walk of 95 miles in length, commencing in the ancient county town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, and traversing the eastern Lake District in a generally north to south direction, to its termination in Arnside, on the shores of Morecambe Bay, and usually requires a period of seven days to complete.

Leaving the old town of Appleby at the foot of the northern Pennines, the path crosses the Eden valley, and westwards via several pretty red sandstone villages and across open countryside to the village of Shap.

After visiting the ruins of Shap Abbey, the trail follows the River Lowther to the village of Askham, then crosses Heughscar Hill to Pooley Bridge, at the northern end of Ullswater. From here, the lakeside path follows the eastern bank of England’s second largest lake and leads to the village of Patterdale, at the southern end of the lake.

The next stage, from Patterdale to Grasmere is 9 miles in length, and follows the old pack-horse track over the hills via Grisedale Hause, involving some stiff climbing, but rewarded with some stunning views of the Vale of Grasmere, and the western fells and mountains.

From Grasmere, the walk passes into the Langdale valley and through the village of Elterwater, then follows the River Brathay downstream into the busy Lake District town of Ambleside. This days walk ends in the village of Troutbeck, which involves a further short walk and climb eastwards over Wansfell.

From Troutbeck, an easier journey of 15 miles via School Knott Fell, and the less visited villages of Staveley, Crook, and Underbarrow ends this stage of the walk with a night in the market town of Kendal, with its castle, and wealth of interesting yards and ginnels.

The walk continues by leaving Kendal southwards beside the banks of the River Kent until it joins the path alongside the Lancaster canal to the village of Holme. From here, woodland steps climb up and over Arnside Knott, eventually leading down to the small town of Arnside – the terminus of this walk.

OS Explorer Maps
OL5 - English Lakes - North-eastern area
OL7 - English Lakes - South-eastern area
OL19 - Howgill Fells & Upper Eden Valley

Guide Books
"The Westmorland Way" by Paul Hannon is now out of print

ViewRanger Digital Maps
Digital Maps can be viewed on a modern smartphone using an appropriate ‘app’, which is usually provided as part of any map purchase. Brigantes are happy to recommend ViewRanger for all your digital mapping and mobile navigation needs.

The ViewRanger Shop provides Ordnance Survey maps for all parts of the UK, as well as the National Trail and selected Long Distance Paths. Map segments can also be purchased ad-hoc, allowing you to cover any walk you plan to take.