Force Cafe and Terrace, Ambleside | Graham’s Guides

Graham’s Guidelines	* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee	N/A
Food	5*
Conversation	5*
People Watching	4*

On a recent bank holiday Sue and I decided to revisit one of our favourite walks, incorporate a swim and do it all before lunch. Sue even managed a trip to the gym before we set off.

One of the advantages of being close to the Lake District is that you can get into some of the more popular spots before everyone arrives and out again before they decide to leave. Despite our early start we only just managed to stick to our plans, squeezing into the last parking space in Pelter Bridge Car Park at the southern end of Rydal.

There was an interesting encounter in the car park, but I’ll write about that in a different post.

Having completed our 4.3 mile moderate walk and swum between the islands we were ready for food.

There are several good cafe options in this area but on a bank holiday you want somewhere a little away from the tourist honeypots. It was with this in mind that we chose to make a return visit to Force Cafe and Terrace.

We’d been before, only for coffee and cake, it was alright, but not great. That was not long after the launch and sometimes it takes a place time to find the right staff and bed in.

Last time we visited was on our way down from Wansfell Pike having parked in Ambleside. This time, having already done our exercise, we drove up. The road is quite steep running alongside Stock Ghyll which contains a set of waterfalls, worth a visit most of the time, especially when it’s been raining, which it hasn’t done for weeks.

There is plenty of parking at Force, but it’s time limited, don’t expect to leave your vehicle there all day.

While the inside of the cafe at Force is lovely, the real showstopper is the terrace. I’m not saying that visiting on a good-weather day is mandatory, but if you do, you are in for a treat. On this occasion we struck the jackpot, clear skies with glorious views across the Lake District fells to the west with Coniston Old Man standing majestically in the distance.

There was plenty of people watching to do on the terrace. Several foreign languages and accents, definitely French, others Eastern European and some Asian. There were young people who were barely starting their day, others like us, a little older who had been awake a while. Many dressed for the hills, a few who were more country casual. From the body language everyone commenting on the scenery.

Lunch comprised Apple and Celeriac Soup and Eggs Benedict Rosti with extra bacon. Both were excellent, and so were the soft drinks that we chose for accompaniment. Lots of people were tricking into the breakfast, brunch, options.

The menu at Force is quite limited which you might regard as a challenge; for me a limited menu tends to indicate somewhere that cares about its food.

The service was good, despite the business of the day. We even got into a conversation with one of the ladies serving regarding the various places available for a swim. Neither of us had anywhere new to share in the Lake District, but it was good to find a kindred spirit.

We will be back.

Force Cafe and Terrace
Kelsick Grammar,
Stockghyll Ln,
Ambleside
LA22 0QY