This 5.5 mile circular walk used to be our new years day jaunt, with our lunch in or around Cathedral Cavern, but that venue has recently become so popular that we now do it on a non-holiday weekday. As the high point is only 400m, it is suitable for a crisp and/or snowy winter’s day. From the car park at Tilberthwaite, go north and upto and in front of the group of houses, then follow the path round and over a stream, through a gate and ascend the side of Yewdale. Round the top of the Gill the valley of (non!) Dry Cove Bottom opens up, with Wetherlam over to the NW. Carry on up the main track, built by quarry men, till the 390m contour, where head right off the path towards a gap between two low hills, the left one larches clad, see picture. When this opens up, better to curve round the slope to the left before descending by a fence, crossing this by a stile lower down. Keep descending by which ever route you fancy to cross the wall on the east side by a ladder stile, see picture. A path leads down, more or less north, with variations, to the track leading east along Little Langdale, past Low Hall Garth and Slater Bridge. A signed path over a stile on the right leads to Cathedral Cavern, entered by a tunnel. No torch needed, but for the full tour, exit by the back via a small tunnel and scramble up and walk round and down to the right to a longer tunnel for which a torch is well worth it for your head and feet! This is about a 100m long, and at the exit descend to the left then right to a road, careful here to turn left then right at the next junction on a metalled road to Stang End. Turn right up the slope here to Hodge Close, but turn left up a track at the first buildings, then soon left on a Bridleway passing east of the Hodge Close Quarry, which can be viewed by leaving the path at various points. Keep on the Bridleway to a point past Holme Ground, and take the track leading sharply back to the road near it. Left on the road and right past the houses on a path, turning left on a permissive path through the wood and by Yewdale Beck back home.
The start: go to the buildings. 
Through Tilberthwaite Gill. 
Turn off the ascent track here. 
The Langdale Pikes from the descent. 
The ladder stile on the descent. 
Little Langdale track on a crisp winter’s day. 
Cathedral Cavern. 
Cathedral Cavern from the top far side, the “hole” is the same as previous picture.
Leave a Reply