Little Langdale Tarn



Little Langdale Tarn is a small, beautiful and marshy body of water located in the valley of Little Langdale where the hamlet of the same name is situated. It is 9.5 metres at its deepest point and managed by the. Access to its shores and fringe areas are prohibited for good reason due it being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated so in 1965. The tarn is visible from sections of the single-track country lane that lies immediately to the north where it, during the summer months, comes alive with a plethora of ferns, foxgloves and charming native hedgerows.

From an elevated position the neighbouring fells offer superb views of the tarn where the whole valley can be seen, from its western fringe at Fell Foot Farm and Wrynose Fell through to Elter Water and Loughrigg Fell in the east. The number of visitors to the area can vary but you can expect to see more people throughout the warmer months, especially with some decent walking routes nearby and other places of interest capturing the imaginations of those new and old to this rather special valley. That said, places such as Slater’s Bridge, Cathedral Cave, Colwith Force and Blea Tarn will see footfall throughout the year regardless of season.

There are many photographic opportunities to be had above the tarn, from any of the valley's fells.

Etymology
The name Langdale is seen in other places, such as Great Langdale, Great Langdale Beck, Little Langdale, Langdale Combe Langdale Fell and, of course, the mighty Langdale Pikes. A literal translation is the long valley, which comes from Old Norse langr meaning long, far or distant and dalr meaning dale or valley. The Old English equivalent would be lang with a similar meaning of long or tall and denu, which is an alternative form of dene, also meaning dale or valley.

Dene, however, is a word used more often in the south of England, rather than its northern counterpart, especially the Lake District where it is considered uncommon. It was later replaced with its Old Norse equivalent langr + dalr, which ties modern day Langdale with the long valley.



Around the tarn
Around the periphery of the tarn, there is a sparsity of farm houses, holiday cottages and private dwellings with the Three Shires Inn pub forming the hub of the local population. Fell Foot Farm has a feeling of remoteness at the head of the valley, alone in its isolation with wide open views in every direction, adjacent to the Ting Mound, a possible 10th century Norse meeting place and Castle Howe, a volcanic lava plug that may have been the site of an Iron Age hill fort.

Okay, let's talk about some science stuff, as it's pretty interesting when you think about it.

The present-day tarn is of glacial origin, the remnant of a much larger body of water three times its original size that extended for several hundred metres beyond its current shores to Fell Foot Bridge. A considerably lengthy span of time has resulted in detritus and sedimental build up, which has provided a wider valley floor and an extensive natural habitat for flora and fauna. The deep excavation of the valley floor is the result of three glacial "tongues" of ice that converged here from Greenburn, Wyrnose and Blea Tarn, and subsequently carved the form we see today. The last glacial period, known in Britain as the Late Devensian glaciation, slowly saw a climate warming period from around 11,500 years ago and the subsequent glacial melt that followed was the precursor to the long and steady transformation we are familiar with today.

The tarn and surrounding fern, reed and marshland was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1965 and has remained so ever since. The Defra map of Little Little Langdale Tarn shows the extent of the area which, according to the official SSSI citation for its designation, is classed as a moderately nutrient-poor (meso-oligotrophic) tarn, similar to that of the Tarn Hows and Beacon Tarn. The citation also states that the valley "has a greater diversity of undisturbed adjacent habitats than any other tarn within the group, showing a characteristic transition from open water, through single-species dominant swamp, acid-poor fen, acidic species-rich marshy grassland, hay meadow and wet woodland." There is such diversity that the continued protection of the area is paramount.

Mining history
The valley has a long history of slate mining and there is evidence of this in the scarred landscape between Tilberthwaite Farm and Slater's Bridge, where several open quarries and caves scatter the lower wooded slopes of the surrounding fells. There is still some mining activity present but there is nothing on the scale of Victorian excavation. Most of the quarries are now disused. The large, open quarry at Elterwater has been in use since the middle of the 19 century and continues to work the local pale green stone. This, amongst others through South Lakeland, is owned and operated by the Holker Group and the Cavendish family.



Access
There is no public access to the tarn itself as it and all of the neighbouring reed, fern and marshland around the tarn are designated a SSSI (see above). The general public should attempt to access this land, so please bear this in mind. It's designation is there for a reason to ensure the land, some of which may be in decline, can slowly recover over time.

Parking
There is no official car park in Little Langdale. One small section of Side Gates provides parking for a small number of vehicles and the very limited parking at the Three Shires Inn is for patrons and overnight guests only, so don’t expect to park there and go for a three hour hike around the fells. Other parking is situated at Hodge Close Quarry and Blea Tarn, both accessed via single-track country lanes with occasional passing places. The National Trust car park at Elterwater has a few spaces, free to members, otherwise you will need to pay to park here, and there is some scattered parking around Skelwith Bridge, the easiest to get to via the A593.

Nearby
If you have the time it would be worth a visit to Blea Tarn, located in the hanging valley between the Langdale valleys. Slightly smaller than Little Langdale Tarn, Blea Tarn is a truly amazing place with stunning views towards the Langdale Pikes as they tower over the crescent in the horizon. From this alone you can see just how high Blea Tarn really is.

Cathedral Quarry and Hodge Close Quarry are historical remnants of the intense mining industry that once thrived here. They can get quite busy so if you want to experience the huge caves with a little more peace and calm, an earlier start or a later finish might be preferable; not too late though as it gets very dark in Little Langdale when the last of the light fades.

Slater's Bridge is a charming and ridiculously attractive little 17th century slate packhorse bridge over the River Brathay and is worth the journey for the beautiful back drop of Lingmoor Fell if taken from the southern side of the bridge.

Colwith Force and Skelwith Force, which are accessible via the Cumbria Way along a short section of this route and offers a great little walk from Little Langdale, Elterwater or from Skelwith Bridge. Neither waterfall is grand in stature by any stretch of the imagination but they both have small, showy cascades where large volumes of water flow through their narrow openings. After heavy rainfall these are both particularly impressive sights.

Elter Water (the tarn or small lake, whichever you think it is) and Elterwater (the village) offer the visitor a nice little walk along the Cumbria Way with views of Lingmoor Fell and the Langdale Pikes, with refreshments from the Britannia Inn pub and Slates Coffee and Kitchen.