Elter Water
Elter Water is a small lake in the Lake District, in Cumbria, England. It lies about half a mile southeast of the village of Elterwater.
The lake is roughly 0.62 miles (1.00 km) long and up to 0.24 miles (0.39 km) wide, covering about 0.16 square kilometers. It is up to around 7 meters (23 feet) deep. Its outflow is the River Brathay, which flows south to Windermere, and Windermere is drained by the Leven into Morecambe Bay.
Elter Water sits in the modern Westmorland and Furness area, but historically it forms part of the boundary between Lancashire and Westmorland.
The lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its natural value, though water quality problems such as eutrophication have occurred. Navigation is prohibited on the lake.
In art, Thomas Frederick Worrall painted a watercolour of Elter Water with the Langdale Pikes in the background; the painting is housed in the Bishop’s House in Keswick. The lake has about 21 islands.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:18 (CET).