The walk to High Sweden Bridge is one of the many short(ish) walks from Ambleside town centre, and it’s very family friendly. Here’s how we did it.
Ambleside to Sweden Bridge at a Glance
- Start Point: Rydal Road Car Park, Ambleside
- Type of walk: Loop
- Distance: 3 miles
- Time taken: 2 hours
- Terrain: Paths and tracks, some steep areas, can be muddy.
About High Sweden Bridge
If you’re anything like me and my kids, you might be forgiven for being a bit confused at finding a bridge in the Lake District with the name of a Scandinavian country.
It starts to make much more sense when you learn that the name is thought to probably come from the old Norse word ‘swidden’ which means a field cleared by burning.
Built in the 1700s, it’s an old packhorse bridge, and used to be an important route for trade in the Lake District. It’s hard to imagine now!
Parking in Ambleside
For the majority of people visiting, the start point for this walk will be one of the car parks in Ambleside. The most straightforward one is Rydal Road car park, as the walk starts just across the road.
However, if (as we found) this one is full, you can find parking at the Miller Bridge car park on the other side of Ambleside. You then walk through Ambleside play park to get to the start of this walk, which isn’t a bad thing with kids!
If you park anywhere that isn’t Rydal Road car park, or you arrive on the bus, make your way towards Rydal Road car park as the directions start from there.
The Walk
1. From the car park, cross over near the mini roundabout and start to walk up the hill. You will see the Golden Rule pub on your right a little way up. This bit can be tricky as there are quite a few cars and there isn’t much pavement at all, but it’s a short part of the walk.
After the pub keep walking as the road winds left, and you will then see Sweden Bridge Lane on your left. Take this road.
2. Keep following this road as it climbs gently. It eventually narrows and you will come to a gate. Go through the gate, and follow the track as it takes you up into the hills. Make sure you look to the right, where you’ll see the folly known as ‘The Tower of Friendship and Beauty’. Built in the 19th Century, visitors including William Wordsworth carved their names into the rock.
Unfortunately for us today, the mist was so thick as we passed we could barely see it!
3. Keep following this track through the fields. It is very easy to follow, and it’s a slow and steady climb. You’ll pass Sweden Wood on your left, which is through a signed gate. It is open to visitors, but the recent wet weather meant the ground was too boggy for us to explore it today. We’ll look forward to returning after a drier spell!
4. You will eventually reach the very beautiful High Sweden Bridge. It is quite amazing to think that it has stood for so many years, through all the floods that have destroyed so many other bridges and buildings.
The area around the bridge was the busiest part of the walk, even on a fairly overcast day. Quite a few people had stopped for lunch and sat nearby to soak up the surroundings.
We still managed to find a lovely spot to have a rest ourselves, where we enjoyed being near the water (and refuelling, obviously). The stream that flows underneath the bridge is accessible; it is possible to get down to the water’s edge pretty easily.
5. From here, the loop continues. Go out of the gate after the bridge, and follow the stepped stones up the (fairly steep) hill. Go over a stile, then up more stepped stones. You’re now at the highest point of the walk! It’s downhill all the way from here.
6. Once you’ve reached the top of the steps, follow the very obvious path as it heads left through the fields and down towards Ambleside. Look out for Highland Cows!
7. Near the bottom of the hill, the path takes a sharp left. Here you will cross Low Sweden Bridge, which isn’t nearly as famous (or picture worthy). Take this as your sign that you’ve nearly completed the walk.
8. After the bridge, follow the path through a gate, then through a farm. After this it will join a quiet road, which will then bring you out onto the hill you began this walk on.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the Ambleside to High Sweden Bridge walk! There are now plenty of places on Ambleside to rest your legs and refuel, so enjoy.
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