The smallest of the Langdale lakes, a reedy sheet of water with the Langdale Pikes rising beyond
Elter Water is the smallest of the lakes strung along the Langdale valley, a shallow, reed-fringed pool that the River Brathay runs through on its way down from the high fells. The name comes from Old Norse for swan lake, and whooper swans do still turn up on it in winter. From its bays the Langdale Pikes rise sharply to the north, one of the classic views in this corner of the Lake District. A path along the shore from Elterwater village makes an easy walk that continues to Skelwith Force, a low but powerful waterfall where the Brathay drops through a rock gap just downstream. The Britannia Inn by the village green is a popular stop before or after.
