Skelwith Bridge

Skelwith Bridge
Historic Name		Schelwath c.1246
Name Meaning		Shrill or noisy ford
Name Origin		Middle English from Old Norse
Historic County		Westmorland
District		Westmorland and Furness
Civil Parish		Skelwith
Post Town		Ambleside
Postcode		LA22
Dialling Code		015394
Coordinates		54.421585 , -3.011796
what3words		agents.fidelity.eggs
Website		skelwith.community
Photo Gallery		Skelwith Bridge/Gallery

Skelwith Bridge is a small village located in the civil parish of Skelwith, 2.5 miles west of Ambleside. Accessed via the A593, it lies at the opening of the Great Langdale valley, where it forks with the B5343 towards the village of Elterwater. The village provides visitors with accommodation and refreshments by way of the Skelwith Bridge Hotel and Chesters by the River Cafe. There is limited parking available for both. Multiple routes for walkers and cyclists can be taken from the village.

The River Brathay flows alongside the village where the double-arched stone bridge of the same name is situated. It’s source begins at Little Langdale Tarn, although various streams feed this picturesque water catchment, which is owned by the National Trust. The river then flows towards Elter Water before making its way to the popular Skelwith Force, where great photo opportunities are available to those wanting to capture this small, but vibrant waterfall. During periods of prolonged rainfall some areas of the waterfall, crossed via a small metal bridge, are not accessible due to higher river levels and rapid water.

Historically, the River Brathay formed a physical boundary between the counties of Lancashire and Westmorland. The Local Government Act of 1972 saw the village fall within the South Lakeland district, however, since 1 April 2023, it lies within the newly established authority of Westmorland and Furness.

To the north of the village is Loughrigg Tarn, a small, natural lake at the foot of Loughrigg Fell. The circumference of the lake can be walked via gravel paths and country roads. It is quintessentially small-scale Lake District with its rolling hills and beautiful green spaces set against the backdrop of bigger fells; the mighty Langdale Pikes standing tall in the distance.

Etymology

The name Skelwith refers to several place names of the same name: Skelwith Bridge, Skelwith Force, Skelwith Fold and Skelwith Pool. Skelwith most likely comes from Old Norse Skjallr and Vað, which roughly translates to noisy ford: a fording (crossing) place by the waterfall, in this case over the River Brathay.

• Skjallr: loud or shrill, referring to the cascading roar from the waterfall.
• vað: ford, a place for crossing / wading.

Throughout the years Skelwith has been known by several variations of its original word, these being:

• 1246 – Schelwath, which basically means schel (shrill), and Middle English wath (ford).
• 1332 – Skelwath
• 1537 – Skelwyth
• 1651 – Skelleth (bridge)
• 1688 – Skelwaith (bridge)
• 1693 – Skelwith (bridge)

The current name was assumed when the bridge was built, therefore the fording place (wath) was subsequently forgotten.

A slightly wider view as the sun's afternoon glow envelops the bridge

References

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