The Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn circuit walk is one of the most beautiful in Grasmere. Not only is the mountain scenery spectacular, but you also visit two of the Lake District’s best wild swimming spots.
The trail heads uphill alongside a gorgeous waterfall, with several great little pools, before climbing up to the tarn. Easedale Tarn is one of our favourites in the Lakes; the blue water is backed by tall fells, creating a dramatic place to stop for a picnic or dip. Best of all - few people visit, so you often get this fabulous place all to yourself - even in the summer holidays!
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn.
The Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn Circular Walk
The stats
Distance: 3.7 miles (6km) loop
Elevation gain: 230m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
The walk to Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn is mainly uphill on the way, but it’s all on pretty good terrain. There are uneven rocky patches, but no part of the walk was slippery (when dry). From the tarn, it’s downhill all the way.
Along this section there are long stretches of bog, but happily there are stepping stones throughout, so you don’t need to worry about muddy boots. If you don’t like the idea of prolonged periods of rock hopping, you can simply return the way you came, where there is no bog whatsoever.
The walk has limited signposts, but it’s easy enough to follow - although we have detailed directions below.
Starting the trail at The Langcrigg
From the parking area (details below), you head down the gravel road and then over the little wooden bridge after 150m (Easedale Tarn is signposted here).
The well maintained trail is flat (or close to) for just over 0.6 miles (1km) and the scenery is lovely, with views out to the fells and the occasional little house nestled in front of them - what a place to live!
At the 800m mark you’ll pass through a gate and take the left fork. It’s then a few hundred metres further along before the track begins noticeably climbing.
Climbing up to Sour Milk Gyll
You’ll come to another gate shortly after and then the path begins climbing more steeply still.
There are some short rocky sections, as well as bits that feel like cobblestones, but by and large the path is pretty good.
You’ll have some great views of the waterfall and if you’re walking on a hot day like we were, you’ll soon feel gratifyingly close to taking a dip.
Roughly 550m after the track began climbing, you’ll reach a small side trail on the right and this leads you to the main swimming hole (1 mile/1.6km from the start of the walk).
It takes less than a minute to get there and then you’ll be standing in front of a gorgeous little waterfall, with a small, but perfectly formed swimming hole at the base.
Swimming at Sour Milk Ghyll
Sour Milk Ghyll is a fantastic swimming hole. It’s exposed for a good portion of the day, so it’s actually some of the warmest water I swam in, in the Lakes.
It’s easy to get in, and only requires climbing over a couple of small rocks (not slippery when dry). It’s shallow at first, but then deepens nearer the falls.
It’s deep enough for a little swim, but mainly it’s a spot to laze around in the water. The big swims come later, at Easedale Tarn.
The pool has fabulous views both looking up at the waterfall and out to the surrounding fells. It’s an idyllic spot with peridot colour water, which was very striking in the late afternoon sunshine.
On that note, this was by no means a busy spot - even though we visited on a 28C day in August - but the warmth and exposure to the sun mean that people who do visit may spend longer here than some of the colder pools.
For that reason, if you do want to get it to yourself in peak season, you might want to come early or late in the day.
Continuing up the waterfall
Once you’ve had a dip or sat and enjoyed the falls, you then head back onto the main trail and continue climbing.
The path is less steep though and the terrain is smoother too. You’ll pass a few more pools, but they are less easy to access.
However, after 200m, you’ll reach another pool which is very easy to get into. It’s a gorgeous spot, with almost infinity style views.
It’s very shallow, but a lovely spot to sit and relax in the water, especially as no one seems to come here - so you’re almost guaranteed to get it to yourself.
Reaching it does require walking a couple of minutes over wet grass, which would be boggy after a lot of rain, but it’s worth it if you want a shallow dip in a quiet spot.
Continuing on to Easedale Tarn
Once you’re back on the main path you’ll continue heading uphill.
After a couple of hundred metres you’ll reach several sets of stone stairs which are a bit more tiring than the earlier climb, but it’s broken up with flatter sections too.
Overall, it’s only 800m between the last waterfall pool and the tarn, so it’s not far to go and so worth it. The scenery is even more beautiful too, as you’re walking into a more mountainous area which feels wilder.
I’d enjoyed the earlier part of the walk, but it was the section between Sour Milk Ghyll and the tarn that had me declaring it was a fabulous walk in its own right and not all about the swimming spots (which had been my original reason for doing this walk).
Swimming at Easedale Tarn
Roughly 1.7 miles (2.7km) after leaving the car park, you’ll arrive at the shores of Easedale Tarn. It was much bigger than I was expecting, and absolutely glorious.
The fells surrounding the water are incredibly picturesque and though the tarn is pretty huge, it somehow still feels secluded.
There is plenty of room to spread out and have a picnic on the grassy banks, and as there is so much space, if anyone is up there, it will be easy to find your own private spot.
When it comes to taking a dip, it’s really easy to get into the water, as it gets deep quite quickly. The section where you have to cross slowly over rocks in shallow water is shorter than at many other lakes.
The water was also fairly warm (by UK standards), not as warm as the waterfall, but still pretty good.
As it’s so deep, you do get some cold pockets mixed up with the warmer water, but when swimming, you keep warm much better than when you’re just lazing around in the water.
It was a magnificent place to swim, the water looks even better from inside, and it shone a golden indigo in the late afternoon light.
It felt amazing, and after having visited a series of sensational, but small swimming holes, it was wonderful to go for a long leisurely swim.
The descent begins
As mentioned the next leg of the circuit does require several sections of rock hopping due to boggy ground underneath. The stepping stones have been spaced really well, so it’s not hard by any means, but if you don’t like the sound of it, it’s better to retrace your steps to get back to the car park.
Otherwise, cross over to the northern side of Sour Milk Ghyll using the stepping stones (on the eastern shore of Easedale Tarn) and take the bracken lined path heading downhill on the other side of the stream.
It’s a good gravel path for the next few hundred metres before you reach bog number one. The stones are very easy to rock hop on when dry, but might require more care if wet.
What follows is just under 650m of intermittent rock hopping and you’ll be very glad of every single one of those stepping stones when you see what lies beneath!
There is one tiny section of bog without stones at time of writing, but the bags of stones are already there waiting to be laid, so it will no doubt be fixed by the time you read this.
The upside to doing the full circuit and not retracing your steps is the fantastic scenery. It really is something special and we didn’t see another soul on this side of the walk!
The descent is also very gradual, there are virtually no steep bits, and lots of flat sections to make it feel quite leisurely.
Finishing the circuit
Once you leave the stepping stones behind, the trail conditions are easy once again and you’ll be following the picturesque river, with amazing views every step of the way.
We couldn’t believe we only had sheep for companions on a walk this pretty in Grasmere!
Just under 1.2 miles (2km) after leaving the tarn you’ll reach a very short section which requires descending on wet stones (these must be permanently damp as it hadn’t rained in a while when we visited).
This was a bit slippery and does require care. You can stay close to the stone wall if needed. I hadn’t really registered the water so went quite gung ho and nearly fell over twice!
After a few minutes, you’re back on a good path and it’s very relaxed once again. You’ll then follow a gravel path heading past farmland, before you’ll see the turn off for Helm Crag after 800m.
If you haven’t been up to Helm Crag before, I’d highly recommend it (if you still have the energy) you can read our Helm Crag guide here.
If you don’t want to add on Helm Crag, continue straight (the path then curves right).
You’ll come to a cobbled path, instead of heading downhill on the cobbled path, you can take the small slightly overgrown looking staircase on the left.
Once you’ve climbed the short staircase you’ll see a little owl statue and continue along the dirt track.
It’s a bit overgrown, but flat and easy enough - provided there hasn’t been too much rain. The only downside to using this short cut is that it can get muddy.
If it has been very wet, it’s probably better to take the slightly longer route using the cobbled path.
You only have a few hundred metres on the overgrown trail before you come out into a lovely patch of woodland.
This leads on to a children’s play area, 3.5 miles (5.7km) into the walk, and 1.9 miles (3km) after leaving the tarn.
You’re then just minutes away from The Lancrigg, where it’s hard to resist passing by those picnic benches with stunning views! Grabbing a drink here is the perfect end to another excellent walk in the Lakes.
Getting to the Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn Circuit
By car and parking
The most convenient car park for the walk - at The Lancrigg - does come with a fee. It’s £6 for all day parking. However, it’s redeemable when purchasing from their lunch menu. Unfortunately we didn’t realise this beforehand, but next time we’d definitely do that.
Parking here also gives you access to the shortest route up to Helm Crag. My advice is, if you want a long but super day in the Lakes, do both walks in one day and have lunch at The Lancrigg inbetween!
If you don’t want to pay for parking, you need to start further down Easedale road. Much of the road does not allow parking and the bits that do fill up early. Opting for free parking will add on about 1 mile (ish) to your walk.
By public transport
The best way to get to the trailhead for the Sour Milk Ghyll and Easedale Tarn Circuit if you’re coming from Ambleside or Windermere is to hop on the 599 or 555 bus. This will take 30 minutes from Ambleside and just under an hour from Windermere.
You can get the 555 from Keswick to Grasmere, which departs from Booths and takes about 45 minutes.
All buses will drop you in the centre of Grasmere, meaning you’ll have to add another 0.8 miles (about 20 minutes) onto your walk.
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