At the foot of Coledale
Braithwaite
A Northern Fells village where Grisedale Pike rises above the beck and places to eat and drink wait below.
- Best for
- Northern Fells walking
- Give it
- A village pause or a full fell day
- Don't miss
- The classic ridge circuit of the Coledale Round
The Fox verdict
A fell-first base with a rewarding return
Braithwaite puts Grisedale Pike and the Coledale Round within reach of village pubs and hotel bars.
Come for access to the Northern Fells, then stay for Coledale's mining history and food or a drink in Braithwaite. The Royal Oak serves Cumbrian pub food, the Coledale Inn occupies a former mill and pencil-making site, and Ruddings has a restaurant and bar.
Where to go
Places in Braithwaite
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesThe Royal Oak
A village inn serving Cumbrian food, with en-suite rooms and a selection of craft beers that changes weekly.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Braithwaite village
The Coledale Inn
A dog-friendly inn in a former mill and pencil-making site, with pub classics, two bars and a grassy beer garden.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Braithwaite village
St Herbert's Church
Built in 1900 beside the village primary school, St Herbert's Church has a hall and kitchen added in 1980.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- Braithwaite village
Walks & outdoors
2 placesGrisedale Pike
The 791-metre fell rises directly above Braithwaite and provides a classic Northern Fells ridge walk from the village.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around four hours
- Locality
- above Braithwaite
Coledale Round
A demanding high-level circuit from Braithwaite over Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Crag Hill and Sail. Keswick's 11-mile route returns via Outerside, Stile End and Barrow; another published variant takes Causey Pike.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow six to eight hours across published Coledale Round variants; the 11-mile Keswick route takes seven to eight hours
- Locality
- Northern Fells from Braithwaite
History & heritage
1 placeForce Crag Mine
Follow the old mine track up Coledale to the former Force Crag Mine buildings, where National Trust panels explain the site's history.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around four hours for the return walk and a pause at the mine
- Locality
- Coledale valley above Braithwaite
No places match this filter. Choose All places to reset the list.
Three ways to explore Braithwaite
Signature outings
Grisedale Pike
Take the classic Northern Fells ridge directly above Braithwaite to the 791-metre summit.
Force Crag Mine
Walk up Coledale's old mine track to Force Crag Mine and its National Trust history panels.
St Herbert's Church
Pause by St Herbert's Church, built in 1900 beside the village primary school.
The village story
Braithwaite: fells, mines and the way home
Follow the beck from Braithwaite's village inns towards Coledale's mining history and high fell routes.
The fell above and the inn below
Coledale Beck runs down through the middle of Braithwaite, and above it, more or less straight up, rises Grisedale Pike. The fell is 791 metres and it starts almost from the back doors of the village, which is the sort of thing you notice when you arrive at the foot of the Coledale valley about two and a half miles west of Keswick and realise how much of the sky is taken up by a single mountain.
The Royal Oak serves traditional Cumbrian food in a cosy village inn, with en-suite rooms and a changing choice of craft beers. Sunday lunch is part of the offer, and staff can advise diners about dietary requirements.
From mill to mine
The Coledale Inn began as a mill and was briefly used as a pencil-making site. The restaurant serves pub classics, and the Georgian and Victorian bars welcome dogs. A grassy beer garden gives walkers another place to pause, with Sunday lunch alongside the main menu.
Further up Coledale, Force Crag Mine worked zinc, copper, lead and barite. It was the Lake District's last working mine and closed in 1991. The old mine track leads towards its buildings, where National Trust information panels explain the site. Visits inside the processing mill are offered at selected National Trust events.
Ridges and the village church
The mine track climbs continuously, making the walk strenuous. For a high-level circuit, the Coledale Round starts in Braithwaite and crosses Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Crag Hill, Sail, Outerside, Stile End and Barrow before returning to the village. Allow seven to eight hours for its 11 miles, and prepare for steep, exposed ground and changeable mountain weather.
St Herbert's Church was built in 1900 beside the village primary school, with a hall and kitchen added in 1980. The church's position makes it an easy stop on a walk through Braithwaite.
Arriving, then coming back down
Braithwaite Village Shop stocks household staples, baked goods and takeaway food, so a basic supply stop need not mean a trip to Keswick. The village is reached by road from Keswick via the A66, and the X5 bus also serves Braithwaite.
After a day in Coledale, the beck leads back into Braithwaite, where Ruddings has a restaurant and bar for a meal or drink.
Stay around Lake District
Make a longer stay of it
Travel Fox holiday homes around Lake District, linked directly to their property pages.
For homeowners
Own a holiday home near Braithwaite?
We manage holiday lets across the Lake District from 12% commission, charged after cleaning costs, with no lock-in. A co-founder visits before you decide.
Holiday let management in the Lake District →
A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- The Royal Oak — royaloak-braithwaite.com operator, sector body or destination organisation
- The Coledale Inn — coledale-inn.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- St Herbert's Church — achurchnearyou.com national body or asset manager
- Grisedale Pike — keswick.org other published source
- Force Crag Mine — lakedistrict.gov.uk national body or asset manager
- Coledale Round — keswick.org other published source