I did this walk on a cool autumnal morning in October 10, 2013 and I did it because of a postcard which I had been given. It showed Stock Ghyll Force and it had been sent on October 10, 1913. The strange thing is that it had been sent from New Zealand to make the point that the writer was homesick. Looking at this tinted postcard things have not changed much in the last 100 years.

How to get there: Ambleside is reached via the A591 and at this time of the year there are plenty of spaces in the pay and display car parks. The walk begins at the junction of the A591 and North Road; here there are the stone steps but the market cross which once stood above them has long gone.

Information

Map: OS Explorer OL7

Grid reference: 382 048

Length: 3 miles

Route 

1 From the steps of the market cross walk up the A591 until it starts to bend to the right. Turn left to see the footpath signs to the ‘waterfalls’ and Stock Ghyll Wansfell Pike. Ascend steeply along Stock Ghyll Lane and then through a gate into Stock Ghyll Park. Follow the obvious waymarkers to meet a left and a right fork. Here there needs to be a diversion because the left turn leads to a cul-de-sac but offers a splendid view of the falls. These were in full spate following rain but they were ‘nobbut a trickle’ when I did this walk back in August. Here I saw a kingfisher and a sure sign that numbers were increasing again in 2013 following last year’s wet summer.

After enjoying this view of the falls I retraced my steps and turned right and crossed a footbridge over the falls. Turn right and past picnic tables where I had my picnic lunch.

2 Turn left to see an old turnstile gate in a wall. This was a reminder of the time when the falls were in private hands and a fee had to be paid to visit this scenic wonder so close to the centre of Ambleside.

Next comes a tarmac strip, signposted ‘public footpath’ and after passing over a cattle grid there are splendid views of the Langdale Pikes.

3 Continue to climb to reach Low Grove House where there is a bridge over a beck. Cross a cattle grid and follow the obvious waymarkers into a field. Now descend to reach a bridge over the Stock Ghyll. Follow the Roundhill Farm track.

4 This track leads to Kirkstone Road. Turn left along this road and after a short distance take a footpath leading off sharply to the right. From here, there are splendid views of Windermere and here I was first greeted by a rain storm and then by a shaft of sunlight which was reflected in the water of the lake.

5 Follow this track until it bears sharp left and then descends into Ambleside. At this point in my walk I picked up one of my old notebooks which described this walk which I did in 1971. It had not changed and in this walk I had written the words of Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) who was a close friend of Wordsworth. She wrote of Stock Ghyll “It is the fashion to speak lightly of this waterfall, it being within half a mile of the inn, and so easily reached, but it is, in our opinion a very remarkable fall...and one of the most graceful that can be seen.”

Nothing had changed when this postcard was written far away in New Zealand and it is still the same today. It is a walk short enough to be enjoyed by families and within the boundaries of the wonderful old town of Ambleside. I explored all the joys of this place and I returned to my starting point.

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.