Skelwith Fold occupies 130 acres of woodland on a former Lakeland estate, tucked between Ambleside and Hawkshead on the quiet side of the Brathay. If you have booked here you have chosen trees and birdsong over lakeside bustle — a good decision, and one that puts you within easy reach of two very different halves of the national park. This guide covers what's on the doorstep and how to shape the wider week.
Quick Facts
Barely a mile from the park gate, the River Brathay narrows and drops over Skelwith Force. It is not the tallest fall in the Lakes but it may be the most muscular — a huge volume of water through a narrow gap, and genuinely impressive after rain. The walk from Skelwith Bridge is flat, short and suitable for almost anyone, and there is a slate workshop and café at the bridge to reward you. Carry on and the path opens out to Elter Water with the Langdale Pikes standing behind it, one of the great views of the central Lakes for very little effort.
North-east to Ambleside for the shops, the cinema, Stock Ghyll Force and the boats at Waterhead — the practical, lively end of your week.
South-west to Hawkshead and Near Sawrey for Beatrix Potter's country: the village where she went to school, and Hill Top beyond it. You are on the right side of the water for this, which most Windermere-based visitors are not.
Don't overlook what you're staying in. A hundred and thirty acres of mature mixed woodland is a serious wildlife habitat — roe deer at dawn, red squirrels if you're lucky and patient, woodpeckers hammering through spring, tawny owls after dark. It is also, on a wet afternoon, a far better place to walk than a car park queue in Ambleside.
The high passes and the far valleys sit beyond easy reach of any single base, and summer traffic makes driving them a chore. Our small-group tours carry seven guests at most and depart from Windermere railway station, Bowness Pier 1 and Ambleside library; private days can usually collect at the park.
The grand sweep: ten lakes, the high passes between them, and an Ullswater Steamers cruise exclusive to this tour. If a celebration stay deserves one great day out, this is it.
See dates & bookCollected at the door, your party only, the day shaped to you — literary landscapes, hidden valleys, or simply the most beautiful roads we know. Well-behaved dogs are welcome aboard in our vehicle crates.
Enquire about a private dayDove Cottage at Grasmere — entry included as standard — and the valleys that made the poems, with Dora's Field carpeted gold in daffodil season. The right literary day for this most Georgian of addresses.
See dates & bookAcross the lake to Hill Top and Near Sawrey, with our illustration-matching walk through the village lanes — back for a long lakeside lunch.
See dates & bookThe afternoon version crosses the lake by boat rather than by road — worth choosing if you'd like the crossing itself to be part of the day.
See dates & bookA slow hall morning, then eight lakes and their valleys at a seven-seat pace — the most civilised way to spend a Lakeland afternoon.
See dates & bookThe same eight lakes as the afternoon tour, run the opposite way round in the morning — ideal if you'd rather keep your afternoon free for the lawns.
See dates & bookA full literary day east to Haworth — the Parsonage, the cobbled village, and the moors that gave Wuthering Heights its weather, newly magnetic with the recent film. Oxenholme pickup available.
See dates & bookInto the Dales for Grassington's "Darrowby", the Wensleydale Creamery, Kilnsey Crag and Bolton Abbey — filming locations brought to life around you with live scene technology.
See dates & bookFrom a woodland base like this, a private day is an easy call — collected at the park, no fixed departure, and a route built around your party. Two of the cottages here are dog-friendly, and well-behaved dogs are welcome on our private tours too, travelling safely in our vehicle crates.
Not sure which route suits your plans, or want a day built entirely from scratch — a family reunion, a wedding anniversary, scattering ashes somewhere that mattered? Tell us what you have in mind and we'll design a day around it — see our guide to celebrating a special occasion for ideas, or get in touch directly.
Car-free: harder here than at the lakeside parks — the B5286 has limited bus service. The workable pattern is to drive or taxi to Ambleside or Windermere and let tour days cover the distances.
If you drive into the villages: Ambleside and Hawkshead car parks fill by mid-morning in season; go early or go late.
Booking rhythm: tour days first, as soon as your dates are fixed — seven seats, and summer departures fill two to three weeks ahead.
Ages: our tours suit adults and older children, about seven and up.
On the B5286 between Clappersgate and Hawkshead, about a mile and a half from Ambleside — 130 acres of woodland on the former Skelwith Fold estate.
Our scheduled small-group tours depart from Windermere railway station, Bowness Pier 1 and Ambleside library, roughly twenty minutes away. On private tours we can usually collect you at the park.
Two of the holiday cottages are dog-friendly. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome on our private tours, travelling safely in the crates our vehicles carry — though not on scheduled departures.
Skelwith Force is barely a mile away — a short, easy walk to a broad, powerful fall on the River Brathay, and one of the most accessible waterfalls in the Lakes.
We are an independent local tour operator. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Skelwith Fold Caravan Park.