At the entrance to Great Langdale lies Chapel Stile, a village built from green slate. Two different walking details are useful for planning your trip: a route from New Dungeon Ghyll to Elterwater, which is 6 km each way, and the route of the Cumbria Way through the village. There is also Holy Trinity, with a window and a tapestry that each have their own connections to the surroundings and the history of Langdale. This offers a way to understand Chapel Stile through its landscape, routes, and specific cultural details.

Walking from New Dungeon Ghyll to Elterwater

The route passes through Great Langdale and an upper, rugged valley. Along the way, it runs past an active quarry and a wooded riverside. When choosing the route, you can consider these different landscape features as defining parts of the walk. The 6 km distance applies each way; walking back along the same route gives a total of 12 km. For your walking day, it makes sense to plan the distance and possible return journey separately. The distance alone does not determine how long the walk will take, so take your own pace and the time available in your day into account.

Wainwright's Bridge places Chapel Stile on this route: crossing the bridge on the way from New Dungeon Ghyll to Elterwater brings you to Chapel Stile.

Chapel Stile on the Cumbria Way

The Cumbria Way offers a second perspective on walking here. On the second day of the Coniston to Great Langdale stage, the route passes through Chapel Stile. The two descriptions therefore differ in their planning focus: the route to Elterwater is defined by a specific distance each way, while on the Cumbria Way, Chapel Stile is part of a named day stage between two places. You can therefore consider whether you would like to include the route to Elterwater or the Cumbria Way in your walking plans. In either case, Chapel Stile is a specific point of reference, but within a different route framework.

Holy Trinity and its works of art

Holy Trinity in Chapel Stile is a Grade II listed building. The church contains the “St Francis window”, designed by a local artist in the valley. It depicts water, birds, and a red squirrel. The church is also home to the Millennium Tapestry, which depicts the history of Langdale. The two works have different focuses: the window shows individual motifs, while the tapestry draws on the history of the valley. Alongside the walking routes, Holy Trinity thus offers a cultural perspective on Chapel Stile and Langdale.

Choose accommodation to suit your travel plans

This way, your choice of overnight accommodation can reflect what you actually plan to do. Your interest in Holy Trinity and the village built from green slate may also influence your decision.

Discover more destinations: Cleator, Troutbeck, Grange Over Sands, Hawkshead, Stanwix, Crosby Ravensworth, Beckermet, Baycliff

For the broader travel overview: Cumbria.