# Lake District Rainy Day Walks: Where to Go When It's Chucking It Down *Forest trails with a cafe at the start, waterfalls that are better in the wet, a cave you can stand in during a downpour, and the honest bit about when to turn back.* By Dan Fitzpatrick, Fell & Family. Updated Saturday 3 October 2026. Canonical: https://fellandfamily.co.uk/guides/lake-district-rainy-day-walks.html **The short answer:** The best Lake District rainy day walks are the forest trails at Whinlatter and Grizedale, which have cafes and toilets at the start, the Aira Force and Stock Ghyll waterfalls, which are at their best after rain, and low lakeshore paths such as Friar's Crag on Derwentwater, Tarn Hows and Wray Castle on Windermere. Stay low and under trees, and leave the fells for another day if the mountain forecast shows gales or the becks are in spate. Lake District rainy day walks are not a consolation prize. They're a skill. It rains a lot here (Seathwaite in Borrowdale was logged at around 3,552mm a year, which made it the wettest inhabited place in the country), and if you only walk when it's dry you'll spend half your holiday watching the windscreen wipers in a car park. The trick is choosing walks where the rain helps or at least doesn't matter: under trees, beside lakes, towards a waterfall that's just been turned up to eleven, and never more than an hour from a toilet and a hot chocolate. Checked 3 October 2026. Car park prices, cafe hours and path closures change, so the organiser link on each place is the one to trust on the day. We're a family of four from Carlisle with a six and a seven year old, and our rule for wet days is simple. Low, short, sheltered, with a cafe at one end. The fells will still be there next week. Your children's goodwill might not be. ## What makes a good walk for a wet day Three things matter more than the view. First, trees: a forest canopy takes the edge off drizzle and the wind drops the moment you're inside one. Second, a decent path, because a muddy field in the rain is how you end up carrying a seven year old and a wellie separately. Third, a building at the start or the end. Forestry England's big forests and the National Trust's lakeshore places do this best, which is why most of this list is theirs. Waterfalls are the bonus. Aira Force and Stock Ghyll Force look a bit apologetic in a dry August and properly furious after a wet night. That's the one time rain makes a walk better rather than just bearable. ## Forest walks with a cafe at the start ### Whinlatter Forest (Braithwaite, near Keswick) A mountain forest up on the Whinlatter Pass west of Keswick, and the best all-round wet day walk in the north Lakes. The trees do the sheltering, the car park has toilets open 8.30am to 8.30pm, and Cafe Ambio is right there at the visitor centre for the debrief. On the forest's walking map the Revelin Moss trail is the easy one (about 1.6km, an hour), the orange Comb Beck trail (2.8km, moderate) follows a gill past an old sheepfold and a disused dam, and the white Seat How trail (5.75km, hard) climbs to 500m for the Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite view, which in heavy rain you won't get, so don't bother. In October the Room on the Broom Halloween trail runs all month (trail pack £4), and there's a Nature's Nightlife family walk on 28 October at £8 a head. Forestry England said on 1 October that forestry work means some diversions and closures, so read the signs at the start. - Price: Free to walk; Halloween trail pack £4 - Parking: CA12 5TW, pay on exit: under 20 minutes free, £2.90 first hour, 70p per 15 minutes, £14 maximum; members free - Toilets: In the main car park, 8.30am to 8.30pm - Check first: Forestry diversions; Cafe Ambio shuts 4pm weekdays, 4.30pm weekends - Website: https://www.forestryengland.uk/whinlatter-forest ### Grizedale Forest (Grizedale, near Hawkshead) Grizedale is Whinlatter's southern cousin, between Coniston and Windermere, and a much bigger forest, so there's always another loop when the first one runs out. For a wet day with small children the Millwood trail starts at the back of the cafe: the short loop is 1km and pushchair friendly, the long loop 2.5km. The Ridding Wood trail is 1.5km, mainly tarmac, about 45 minutes, with a couple of steep bits. One warning for this month: Forestry England posted on 2 October that the Room on the Broom trail here is closed for urgent tree works. The Nature's Nightlife family walks on 26 and 29 October are £8 each and need booking, and Gruffalo Granny does free stories on 24 October. - Price: Free to walk; Nature's Nightlife £8 per person - Parking: LA22 0QJ: £2.90 first hour then 70p per 15 minutes, £14 max (smaller car parks cheaper); first 20 minutes free - Toilets: At the visitor centre, 10am to 5pm - Check first: Trail closures for tree work; severe weather can close the forest - Website: https://www.forestryengland.uk/grizedale ### Dodd Wood (near Keswick) A smaller, quieter forest on the A591 about 3.5 miles north of Keswick, opposite the Mirehouse entrance. Gravel forest roads and surfaced paths climb through the wood, and red squirrels live here all year, so a damp grey morning when nobody else is about is actually a decent time to look. The full climb to Dodd summit is a proper slog and pointless in cloud; the lower woodland loops are the wet day version. The Old Sawmill Tearoom sits right in the car park, open daily 10am to 4pm, but only April to October, so after the end of this month you're on your own with a flask. - Price: Free to walk - Parking: CA12 4QE, pay on exit: £2.10 first hour, 55p per 15 minutes, £13 all day; first 20 minutes free - Toilets: In the car park - Check first: Tearoom closes for the winter after October; dogs only at its outside tables - Website: https://www.forestryengland.uk/dodd-wood ## Waterfalls that are better in the rain ### Aira Force (Ullswater) The best rain reward in the county. Aira Beck crashes through a wooded gorge above Ullswater, and after a wet night the noise alone is worth the parking fee. Paths through the glen are under trees most of the way, and the tea room in the car park does hot drinks and takeaway, 10am to 4.30pm. The honest bits: it is not a buggy walk, the National Trust says the waterfall isn't wheelchair accessible, and the steps get slippery when wet. Hold small hands near the edges. Dogs on leads. - Price: Free to walk - Parking: Main car park CA11 0JS: £7 for 2 hours, £8.50 for 4, £10 all day; members free - Toilets: Small block in the main car park with an accessible toilet - Buggy access: No; steps and steep, rugged paths - Check first: The main car park fills by mid morning on busy days; Glencoyne Bay and Park Brow are alternatives - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/aira-force-and-gowbarrow-park ### Stock Ghyll Force (Ambleside) A 70 foot waterfall a short walk from the middle of Ambleside, up Stock Ghyll Lane behind the Salutation Hotel. There's a railed viewing platform, the path is under trees, and you can be back in town for cake before anyone has worked out they're cold. On a wet day in Ambleside this is the one walk I'd make everybody do. It has steps and the ground goes soft after rain, so carry rather than push. - Price: Free - Parking: Rydal Road car park, LA22 9AN: £2.60 an hour, £4.40 for two, £10.60 all day; coins, card or phone (code 9917) - Buggy access: No, steps through the woods - Check first: Footwear; the steps are slippery in the wet - Website: https://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/stock-ghyll-force/ ## Lakeshore and low level paths When the cloud is down to 300 metres the fells disappear, but the lakes are still there, and low lakeshore paths are where you go. Most are firm enough for a buggy. A couple flood after very heavy rain, which I've flagged. ### Friar's Crag and Derwentwater (Keswick) The classic Keswick stroll: from the Theatre by the Lake car park along the shore to the little headland of Friar's Crag, then back through the woods, 3.17km in about an hour and a half (or 2.5km there and back). The theatre cafe is at the start and there are tearooms by the lake, so you can bail at any point. The National Park says the path isn't currently up to its 'for all' standard, with potholes and small steps, and the drop down to the Friar's Crag viewpoint is unsafe for wheeled users while the National Trust repairs it. Fine with a sturdy buggy if you skip the last bit. - Price: Free - Parking: Theatre by the Lake car park, CA12 5DJ (charged) - Toilets: Accessible toilets in the car park, Radar key or 40p - Check first: Repair works at the viewpoint; the lakeshore can be underwater after a big storm - Website: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/friars-crag/ ### Keswick Railway Path (Keswick to Threlkeld) An old railway line along the River Greta, tarmac all the way and graded 'for all', 5.6km one way to Threlkeld. In the rain that tarmac is the selling point: no mud, no stiles, and the river is loud and brown and interesting. Threlkeld has two pubs and a coffee shop at the far end, and you can turn back whenever the moaning starts. Big caveat this autumn: from 22 September 2026 the bridge over the Greta at the Keswick end is completely closed for up to eight weeks. You can still join the path further east, so check the National Park's route page for the access points before you go. - Price: Free - Parking: Car park opposite the old station building, CA12 4NP, by the leisure pool - Toilets: None on the route; Bell Close in Keswick and Threlkeld Village Hall - Buggy access: Yes, tarmac throughout - Check first: The bridge closure at the western end, from 22 September for up to eight weeks - Website: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/keswick-railway-path/ ### White Moss Common and Rydal Cave (Rydal, near Grasmere) Two walks from the same corner. White Moss Common is a Miles without Stiles route: 1.1km on a wide smooth stone path through Penny Rock Wood to the River Rothay, toilets with baby changing 40 metres from the lower car park. Small, flat, done in half an hour. Rydal Cave is the wet day hero for slightly bigger legs. It's a huge old quarry cave above Rydal Water, man made over 200 years ago, and you can stand inside it out of the rain while it hammers down outside (children find this hilarious). Ordnance Survey's circular from Pelter Bridge is 6.2km and about two and a quarter hours with some climbing. The stepping stones at the cave mouth are often underwater, so either scramble round the rocks or accept wet feet. - Price: Free - Parking: White Moss lower car park, LA22 9SD (charged); Pelter Bridge car park for Rydal Cave - Toilets: At White Moss, with baby changing - Buggy access: White Moss yes (a 140mm step off the first footbridge); Rydal Cave no - Check first: Slippery slate inside the cave; the 599 bus stops nearby - Website: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/walking/mileswithoutstiles/mws9 ### Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge (Elterwater, Langdale) A 2.6km riverside walk on a wide stone path from Elterwater village to Skelwith Bridge, about an hour, past Skelwith Force, which is short and stumpy but makes a great racket after rain. Chesters by the River at Skelwith Bridge is the obvious reward and the 516 bus runs between Ambleside and Elterwater all year if you only want to walk one way. The National Park warns that some sections are prone to flooding and puddles, there's a 1:8 slope, and it's bumpy for buggies and wheelchairs. After a really wet night, this one goes swampy first. - Price: Free - Parking: National Trust car park at Elterwater, LA22 9HP; or Silverthwaite at Skelwith Bridge - Toilets: Public toilets in Elterwater; accessible toilets at Slates Cafe and Chesters - Buggy access: Possible but bumpy - Check first: Flooded sections after heavy rain; the 516 timetable - Website: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/elterwater-to-skelwith-bridge/ ### Tarn Hows (near Coniston and Hawkshead) A 2 mile loop round a tarn on a firm gravel path, about an hour, with short steep bits. It's one of the easiest proper walks in the Lakes, it works with a pushchair, and the National Trust lends out Tramper all-terrain scooters if you book 48 hours ahead. In rain the woods round the tarn shelter the path more than you'd expect, and the Coniston fells come and go through the cloud, which is half the fun. There's no cafe on site, so bring the flask or drive on to Hawkshead or Coniston afterwards. - Price: Free to walk - Parking: National Trust pay and display at Tarn Hows; members and Blue Badge holders free - Toilets: In the car park, including accessible with baby changing - Buggy access: Yes on the main path - Check first: Book the Tramper 48 hours ahead; no cafe, so bring a flask - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/tarn-hows-and-coniston/tarn-hows-circular-walk ### Wray Castle grounds (Low Wray, near Ambleside) The castle itself is closed for refurbishment, but the grounds (8am to 8pm), toilets and Joey's Cafe (9.30am to 4.30pm) are open every day, and the lakeshore paths along the quiet west side of Windermere are lovely in drizzle. The nice wet day move is to get the Windermere Lake Cruises Green Cruise from Ambleside to the Wray jetty, walk up to the castle and along the shore, and avoid driving altogether. The Stranger Folk digital adventure runs on selected days from 19 October to 22 November, free once you've paid to park. - Price: Grounds free; Stranger Folk free - Parking: LA22 0JA: £7 for 2 hours, £8.50 for 4, £10 all day; JustPark code 80715; members free - Toilets: Near the cafe, including accessible - Check first: Green Cruise winter timetable; no campervan parking - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/wray ### Fell Foot (Newby Bridge, Windermere) A lakeside park at the south tip of Windermere with lawns, a wheelchair accessible path by the water, an adventure playground and the Boathouse Cafe (9.30am to 5pm). It's less a walk than a wander, which on a wet day with toddlers is exactly the right amount of ambition. There's a Changing Places toilet, and two all-terrain wheelchairs you can book free with 48 hours' notice. Away from the lakeshore the paths turn to grass and loose gravel with slopes. - Price: Free entry - Parking: LA12 8NN: £7 for 2 hours, £8.50 for 4, £10 all day; cash or JustPark; members free - Toilets: Accessible toilets in the main car park and at the Active Base; Changing Places - Buggy access: Yes on the lakeside path - Check first: Park hours change with the season; dogs off lead only in the south meadow when no cows - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/fell-foot ## The Borrowdale rainforest Here's a thing that makes rain sound like a plan rather than a problem. The oak woods of Borrowdale are temperate rainforest, one of England's largest remaining bits of it, and they're now a National Nature Reserve: the first 721 hectares were declared by the National Trust and Natural England. All that moss, fern and lichen exists because of the rain. Wet day, best day. ### Great Wood and Ashness Bridge (Borrowdale, near Keswick) Great Wood is the handiest way into the rainforest, just south of Keswick on the Borrowdale road, with paths up through the oaks and down to the Derwentwater shore. Ashness Bridge has its own small car park (about 15 spaces) and is another of the National Trust's access points to the reserve. It's rough woodland walking, not buggy territory: the access survey describes uneven surfaces, steep slopes and paths too narrow for wheelchairs. If you want someone to explain what you're looking at, the National Trust runs a free Borrowdale Rainforest and Hollows Farm guided walk on Saturday 31 October, 9am to 11am from Hollows Farm campsite. Booking essential on 07974 034400; children welcome with adults, dogs on leads, not suitable for prams. - Price: Free; guided walk on 31 October free but must be booked - Parking: Great Wood CA12 5UP, Ashness Bridge CA12 5UN: £7 up to 2 hours, £8 up to 4, £9.50 all day; members free; take cash, signal is poor - Toilets: None at Great Wood; Seatoller has toilets that are often closed in winter - Buggy access: No - Check first: Booking for the guided walk; nearby Seatoller and Rosthwaite car parks if Great Wood is full - Website: https://nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/borrowdale-nnr ## Near Carlisle ### Talkin Tarn Country Park (Brampton, near Carlisle) Our local wet day fallback, about 9 miles east of Carlisle and a mile off the A69. A walk round the tarn on easy footpaths, and a tearoom that's open seven days a week, 11am to 3.30pm all year. It isn't in the National Park and nobody will put it on a postcard, which is exactly why it's such a calm place to splash about on a grey Sunday. Parking is cheap by Lakes standards and the toilets are open 9am to 5pm. - Price: Free entry - Parking: CA8 1HN: £1.50 up to an hour, £2.70 over an hour; cash, card or MiPermit - Toilets: 9am to 5pm - Buggy access: Easy footpaths round the tarn - Check first: The upstairs tearoom is weekends and school holidays only after October half term - Website: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parks-culture-and-leisure/find-parks-and-public-gardens-near-you/talkin-tarn-country-park ## What to wear, and what to leave in the car - Waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers for everyone, children especially. Wet jeans are how a walk ends early. - Wellies for small children on the forest and lakeshore paths; proper boots for anything with steps, like Aira Force or Rydal Cave. - A hat and gloves even in October. Wet hands get cold fast and cold hands make for a short walk. - A dry set of clothes and a towel in the boot, plus a bin bag for the wet stuff. - Snacks you can eat with gloves on, and a flask, because half the cafes on this list close at 4pm or earlier. - A rain cover for the buggy. Obvious. Easy to forget. ## When to give up This is the bit people skip. Rain on its own is fine. Rain plus wind plus swollen becks is not, and the line between a soggy adventure and a daft one is closer than it looks from the car. - Check the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast for the Lake District. It covers wind, rain, cloud base and the chance of cloud-free summits. If it's talking about gales on the tops, stay low and under trees. - Check the Environment Agency's flood warnings and river levels on the government's Check for Flooding service before heading to lakeshore or riverside paths. Elterwater to Skelwith and the Derwentwater shore are the ones on this list most likely to be underwater. - Don't cross a beck that's in spate. Not with kids, not with a dog, not to save a mile. Turn round. - Forests close in severe weather. Forestry England says Grizedale's car parks and trails can shut, and falling branches are the reason. If it's blowing a gale, a forest is the wrong answer. - If the children have stopped talking, you've gone far enough. Silence is not contentment, it's hypothermia's opening act. > Rain makes waterfalls louder, moss greener and car parks emptier. It also makes six year olds wetter. Plan for all four. ## Lake District rainy day walks: quick picks - With a pushchair: Keswick Railway Path (once the bridge reopens, or from the eastern end), Tarn Hows, White Moss Common, Fell Foot, Grizedale's Millwood short loop. - For the biggest wow: Aira Force after a wet night. - For under fives: Fell Foot or the Whinlatter Halloween trail, with the cafe ten metres away. - For bigger kids who need a mission: Rydal Cave. Standing inside a cave in a downpour is unbeatable. - For no driving: the Green Cruise to Wray, or Stock Ghyll from the middle of Ambleside. - From Carlisle: Talkin Tarn. About nine miles, cheap parking, tearoom. And if it really is biblical, the indoor list is in our rainy day guide: aquariums, museums, the pencil museum (yes, really) and the cinemas. A walk is only fun if you're the one choosing to be out in it. ## Questions people ask **What are the best walks in the Lake District when it's raining?** Forest trails at Whinlatter, Grizedale and Dodd Wood, waterfall walks to Aira Force and Stock Ghyll Force, and low lakeshore paths like Friar's Crag, Tarn Hows and Wray Castle. All are short, sheltered and close to toilets and a cafe. **Is it worth going to the Lake District in the rain?** Yes, if you pick low, sheltered walks. Waterfalls are far better after rain, the Borrowdale woods are temperate rainforest that exists because of the wet, and the car parks are quieter. **Where can I walk with a pushchair in the Lake District when it's raining?** The Keswick Railway Path is tarmac all the way (its western bridge is closed from 22 September 2026 for up to eight weeks), and Tarn Hows, White Moss Common, Fell Foot and Grizedale's 1km Millwood short loop all suit pushchairs. **Are Lake District waterfalls better after rain?** Yes. Aira Force on Ullswater and the 70 foot Stock Ghyll Force in Ambleside are at their loudest after a wet night, though the steps on both get slippery and neither is a buggy walk. **Where is the wettest place in the Lake District?** Seathwaite in Borrowdale, which was recorded at around 3,552mm of rain a year and called the wettest inhabited place in the UK. In November 2009 it took 314.4mm in 24 hours. **What should I wear for a rainy walk in the Lake District?** Waterproof jacket and trousers for everyone, wellies for small children on forest and lakeshore paths, boots for steps and rocks, plus hats and gloves. Leave dry clothes in the car. **When is it too wet to walk in the Lake District?** When the mountain forecast shows gales, when there are flood warnings on the rivers, or when becks are too high to cross safely. In strong wind avoid forests too, because of falling branches. ## Sources - Whinlatter Forest, Forestry England: https://www.forestryengland.uk/whinlatter-forest - Whinlatter walking trails map (Keswick Tourism Association): https://www.keswick.org/UserContent/doc/51226/whinlatter%20walking%20map.pdf - Comb Beck trail, Forestry England: https://forestryengland.uk/whinlatter-forest/comb-beck-trail-whinlatter - Grizedale Forest, Forestry England: https://www.forestryengland.uk/grizedale - Grizedale walking trails map (March 2026): https://www.forestryengland.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Grizedale%20walking%20trails%20web%20map%20%28Mar%2026%29.pdf - Millwood trail, Forestry England: https://www.forestryengland.uk/grizedale/millwood-trail-grizedale - Dodd Wood, Forestry England: https://www.forestryengland.uk/dodd-wood - The Old Sawmill Tearoom, Mirehouse: https://www.mirehouse.co.uk/plan-your-visit/the-old-sawmill-tearoom/ - Aira Force and Gowbarrow Park, National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/aira-force-and-gowbarrow-park - Stock Ghyll Force, Visit Cumbria: https://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/stock-ghyll-force/ - Rydal Road car park, Westmorland and Furness Council: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/parking-streets-and-transport/parking/find-car-park-near-you/rydal-road-car-park - Friar's Crag route, Lake District National Park: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/friars-crag/ - Keswick Railway Path, Lake District National Park: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/keswick-railway-path/ - White Moss Common, Miles without Stiles: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/walking/mileswithoutstiles/mws9 - Rydal Cave, OS Maps: https://osmaps.com/discover/adventures/rydal-cave/ - Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge, Lake District National Park: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/route/elterwater-to-skelwith-bridge/ - Tarn Hows circular walk, National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/tarn-hows-and-coniston/tarn-hows-circular-walk - Wray, National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/wray - Fell Foot, National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/fell-foot - Borrowdale National Nature Reserve, National Trust: https://nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/borrowdale-nnr - Car parks in Borrowdale and Derwent Water, National Trust: https://nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/car-parks-in-borrowdale-and-derwent-water - Great Wood access guide, AccessAble: https://www.accessable.co.uk/national-trust/borrowdale-and-derwent-water-national-trust/access-guides/borrowdale-and-derwent-water-great-wood - Borrowdale Rainforest and Hollows Farm guided walk, National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/events/fd633a6c-c859-445d-a2f1-f708815764f1 - Talkin Tarn Country Park, Cumberland Council: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parks-culture-and-leisure/find-parks-and-public-gardens-near-you/talkin-tarn-country-park - Talkin Tarn car park, Cumberland Council: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/parking/find-car-park-near-you/talkin-tarn-car-park - Talkin Tarn Country Park, Visit Lake District: https://www.visitlakedistrict.com/things-to-do/talkin-tarn-country-park-p1444051 - Seathwaite, Cumberland, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seathwaite,_Cumberland - Lake District forecast, Mountain Weather Information Service: https://www.mwis.org.uk/forecasts/english-and-welsh/lake-district - Check for flooding, Environment Agency: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/