Before going myself I read tons of articles & they were pretty confusing so I'm going to try make this as simple as possible!

Firstly parking. Rydal Hall does not allow you to park there for the day. There is some free parking (£2 donation suggested) along the hill on the way there outside the church. The spaces are limited and it is likely you will not get parked here. 

There are two other car parks nearby (30 mins walk away). I parked in White Moss Car Park as I went up to Rydal Caves beforehand. (Read my post on that here) Just to note that parking is not cheap around here.

The full route I took:

Pelter Bridge Car Park: Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9LW (Nearest)

White Moss Car Park: White Moss, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9SE (Other side of lake)

Rydal Water Car Park: Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9SE (Opposite White Moss)

What to take:

- Swimming shorts/costume
- A towel
- A camera/phone
- Swim shoes 
- Lunch
- Plenty of water in a reusable bottle
- An emergency whistle / flame etc *just incase*
- Spare clothes for after your dip
- Wear a good pair of hiking boots!

Start -> Rydal Hall Campsite

Navigate yourselves to the Rydal Hall Campsite. Follow the image below, head through the beautiful gardens, I recommend visiting the grot while you're there. Its just through the quiet garden and under the bridge. (you can see it from the bridge too). 

Head up through the campsites past the toilets, not towards the sheep fields! Pretty soon you'll meet the beck again. There you will see a small bridge. - There is another way to here, if you don't want to see the gardens you can come into the rydal hall grounds, go to the house, up the stairs on your left, through the art sculpture walks in the woods and round to the right, you'll come to the same bridge and cross it.

Stay on the right side of the beck and follow it for a lovely route. Along the way you'll see several stunning natural waterfalls. My best advice for this walk is take care with your steps due to eroding sides. Don't rush it, it can be slippery and watch for fallen trees. At some points you may need to step out onto the main path and back in towards the falls. But trust me staying closer to the water will be a better view and well worth it.

About half way up, you will see this grass bridge. Cross over this one! Head upwards towards the hut pictured below (which is sadly trashed inside). Go through the gate then turn right past the hut and keep on going up to the next gate.

Go through the gate and continue on upwards, the route veers to the right and then its fairly straightforward. There is a wall either side, if you can see over on the right side, you'll see and maybe even hear people enjoying the rock pools at the lower end of buckstones jump.

At this point the trail feels a little never ending but you are almost there! This area can be boggy, so I hope you're wearing good shoes! Pretty soon you'll come across a stile on the right side, hop on over and you are there!

We explored the smaller pools first and I managed to get Ysera in for a cool down dip (she was reluctant). I brought her life jacket so she was fine really!

Then we headed over to the large pool which is around 3m deep at some points. Many people were sliding down the waterfall and jumping in from the edges. I was a little nervous to do it at first but a nearby couple helped me out by filming it and everyone around me cheered me on! I highly recommend giving it a go, just be careful yet confident so you jump out far enough!. When I got up here I actually paid for another 2 hours of parking because I knew I wouldn't want to leave so quickly.

Enjoy your visit! Drop a comment below about your experience or drop a review on TripAdvisor to help future travellers experience the magic of Buckstones Jump!

(To head down follow the instructions in reverse)

3 Places to stay nearby

Where to eat when you come back down: