The gaping mouth of Rydal Cave has a layer of jagged rocks which look like a set of sharp teeth. An eerie sight, particularly if you visit on a dark and gloomy day! If you’re lucky enough to get the cave to yourself, all you’ll hear is the dripping of water on rock, which combined with the darkness gives it a mysterious air.
The cave is easy to access and can be reached via several different walking trails.
Whilst Rydal Cave is a popular spot, there’s a seldom talked about second cave very nearby, which you can climb up into aided by a rope. The two caves make for a great short adventure and both can be visited in just one hour using our short easy route.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Rydal Caves.
Visiting Rydal Caves
The routes
There are a number of different routes you can take to visit Rydal Cave, the shortest and easiest of which is the one we’re describing in this post.
You can also walk from White Moss car park which takes a maximum of 30 minutes each way, or visit as part of the Loughrigg Fell circular walk, which is one of our favourite easy walks in the Lake District and a great option if you have more time.
There are other routes, but these are the most popular.
The shortest walk to Rydal Cave
The stats
Distance: 0.8 miles (1.2km) each way
Elevation gain: 85m
Difficulty: Easy
Time taken: 15 minutes each way
This route to Rydal Cave has a small amount of elevation gain, but it never feels steep. For the most part it’s on very good terrain, with just one short rocky patch. The trail itself doesn’t suffer much from mud, but you’ll find plenty around the first cave if you’re visiting after heavy rain. The rock slab you need to climb up to get into this cave also gets slippery when wet, so it’s best to wear shoes with good grip.
Getting into Rydal Cave itself is pretty easy. Parts of the stepping stones can submerge after heavy rain, but then you can use the rocks to the right to access it, so unless it’s flooded - which requires huge rains - you will still be able to get in.
The route to the caves is not signposted, but we have step by step directions below.
Starting the trail
From the car park (details below) you’ll head left and begin heading uphill along the road. After 350m you’ll leave the road behind (which is exceptionally quiet) and continue onto a wide gravel path. The path is lined on both sides with mossy walls and plenty of trees which makes for a very pretty start.
The trail begins heading gently uphill and you’ll arrive at a gate 150m later (500m into the walk).
Pass through the gate and take the trail on the left. You’ll now be walking on a flat path above Rydal Water, with wonderful views down over the lake.
The next 350m are all flat and leisurely and you can really soak up those beautiful views.
Finding the hidden cave
Roughly 850m into the walk you’ll begin heading gently uphill again. There is a short (100m) rocky patch of track, although it’s not difficult - we were walking in the rain and it still wasn’t slippery.
After this 100m stretch the path smooths over and you’ll cross a small stream (there’s a stepping stone to make it easy). You’re now just 150m away from the top of the first cave. It’s a straightforward walk and you’ll soon see a large cave opening on the left.
There are two ways to get down to the entry point of the cave. The first one requires walking down a little rocky patch of track - a scramble, but just a few steps.
However it’s a bit slippery after rain. The second option is to continue a few seconds further along the main path and then take the trail on the left.
This is a good gravel track with a very tiny and easy rocky patch. It’s suitable for any weather.
Getting into the cave
Whichever path you take you’ll now be standing below the cave entrance. After heavy rain it’s really muddy down here, but it’s a big space, so for the most part you can navigate around it.
The easiest way into the cave is up the rocky scramble, where a rope is in place to help you. In wet conditions the rock is very slippery so take it slowly. In the dry it would be a lot nicer getting in!
Either way it’s just a couple of minutes before you’re standing at the mouth of the cave. It’s smaller than Rydal Cave, but still fun to have a poke around in, and has the added benefit of feeling a bit more secluded. Although it is literally just off the main trail, for whatever reason, not many people seem to venture in here.
Once you’ve had a look around you head out the cave the way you came in, and head back onto the main trail.
Onto Rydal Cave
There’s just 150m between the two caves and it’s all on an easy well maintained path. It’s slightly uphill, through a very pretty little patch of woodland. You’ll then see the huge gaping hole that is the mouth of Rydal Cave. It’s very impressive and much easier to get into than the first cave, despite being partially full of water.
You can either walk over the stepping stones through the middle of the water, or take the rocky route to the right. The stepping stones can become submerged after very heavy rain. On our visit part of the stepping stones were submerged, but you could still use them.
They are uneven both in spacing and size. The wet parts of the rock were pretty slippery, so go carefully. It’s not like you’d fall into a huge body of water as it’s very shallow, but nonetheless it wouldn’t be fun!
The easier route is to walk over the rocks on the right side of the cave. They are uneven, but very straightforward and not slippery - although still watch your footing.
Exploring Rydal Cave
Once inside the cave it’s easy to explore. It’s damp and a little muddy in patches, but nothing major. It’s fairly big, but a decent amount of light still penetrates, so you don’t really need a torch.
My favourite part was looking back on the cave opening from inside.
This is when things get really atmospheric. You’ll see the jagged rocks that line the top of the entrance, which look like a set of jagged teeth. That combined with the dripping of the water inside the cave gives it a definite mysterious feel, especially on a gloomy day.
You get some good reflections of the tree and cave wall in the water if it’s not too windy. There’s also a good view out to the fells, although the best view is a little to the left of the cave.
Once you’ve finished exploring you can exit the cave and walk about two minutes up the path to the left for a lovely view over Rydal Water and the surrounding fells.
After that you can retrace your steps back to the car park and it’s almost all downhill on the way back, so it’s even quicker.
Parking for Rydal Caves
The closest car park to the caves is the one we used, which is the Pelter Bridge car park in Rydal, postcode LA22 9LR. It’s a pay and display car park (two hours parking is £3.50) but there are three car parking spaces you can use for free in a lay-by one minute back down the road. They fill up quickly though.
If you’re visiting in summer you can also park for free because the parking charges are only applicable between 9am and 6pm. You could therefore opt for an early or late adventure and not only will it be free, but you will also see the caves at a quieter time of day.
There are no facilities (including toilets) at the trailhead or along the route so you’ll need to plan accordingly.
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