Walk Ravenglass to Muncaster tarn – Lake District, Cumbria, England

Dog-friendly circular walk starting from Ravenglass to Muncaster tarn and passing by Muncaster Castle Estate.

Information to do this walk from Ravenglass to Muncaster Tarn:

  • Distance: 12.5 km
  • Duration: 4h
  • Ascent: 200m
  • Level: Moderate
  • Car Park: Ravenglass Car Park, Croftlands Dr, Ravenglass (CA18 1SQ), Fees apply
  • Dog Friendly: Yes only a small section on the road otherwise dog can roam freely.
  • Note: Only accessible at low tide
Eskmeals Viaduct, Ravenglass, Cumbria
Eskmeals Viaduct

One of the last walk we did in 2022 was this one starting from Ravenglass to Muncaster tarn passing by Muncaster Castle. Funnily, one of the first walk we did in 2022 was the Ravenglass to Saltcoats walk so in a way we started and ended 2022 by walking around Ravenglass.

path along the shore of river Esk, Cumbria
path along the shore of river Esk

Ravenglass is a lovely seaside town on the west coast of Cumbria. It can be very touristic especially in summer as it is the start of the Ravenglass – Eskdale train line, also known as the La’al Ratty that bring travellers across the Eskdale valley. The sand dunes around the river Irt and river Esk are also very famous for being a bird sanctuary.

For this walk, we started by following the shore of the river Esk using the England Coastal path then directly walking on the beach. The river then bent to enter the valley by passing under the Eskmeals Viaduct and going towards the Scafell mountain range where its source is located.

Muncaster Castle, Cumbria
Muncaster Castle

After having enjoyed observing the birds along the river Esk, we left it to enter Muncaster Castle Estate and roam in its forest. (Only the main path crossing the estate is accessible free to walkers, you will need to pay a ticket to be able to visit the Castle, Gardens and whole estate). Exiting the estate and arriving on the A595, we took left in the direction of Eskdale Golf Course, where we joined the Eskdale Trail to go up Muncaster Tarn. We then walk down to the entrance of Muncaster Castle.

Exiting Muncaster Castle Estate, Cumbria
Exiting Muncaster Castle Estate

Still following the sign of the Eskdale trail, we walked back from Muncaster Castle to Ravenglass passing by the remains of Ravenglass Roman Bath. This bath dating from 130 AD is the tallest structure still surviving in Northern England.

Ravenglass Roman bath, Cumbria
Ravenglass Roman bath

We really enjoyed that walk as it is not too steep and is very diverse in scenery with beach, forest and countryside paths and offering beautiful views on the surrounding mountains.

Have you done this walk before? Or any walks in Ravenglass?


Find more walks in the Lake District on this page.

Retrouvez toutes nos randonnées dans le Lake District sur cette page.

13 thoughts on “Walk Ravenglass to Muncaster tarn – Lake District, Cumbria, England

  1. I’ve been to Ravenglass a few times, the last time less than 18 months ago. It’s a pretty little village and the scenery is great for photography but other than the railway there’s nothing there, though I suppose that’s part of it’s charm.

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