The Ullswater Way - Sunday 20 & Monday 21 March 2022
Launched in April 2016, The Ullswater Way is a 22 mile walking route that circumnavigates the lake through a spectacular landscape rich in history and cultural heritage. The route can be walked in any direction and from any starting point. There are several itineraries that people use in order to complete the walk - some do it in a day or a couple of days. Others may like to take their time and split the mileage down even further, utilising the nearby Ullswater Steamers at Glenridding. Using the Steamers walkers can begin or end the day with a cruise on the lake using the Steamer Piers at Glenridding, Pooley Bridge, Howtown and Aira Force. The excellent Ullswater Way Official Guide (written by Mark Richards - see pic below) breaks it down even further into "six cruise and stroll walks of between 3 & 7 miles"
There are also two additional loops that can be added on to the walk in order to explore further afield. Firstly, the Dalemain Loop passes through historical pasture to the stately Dalemain mansion and on to the ancient church of Dacre with its four stone bears. Secondly, the Lowther Castle Loop includes a beautiful riverside walk and the charming villages of Askham and Lowther.
The route itself does not predominately follow the lake shore. Indeed, the challenges of negotiating access wholly around the lake were deemed impossible to achieve. Therefore it was decided to utilise the rights of way and pathways already in existence thus enabling shoreline paths, woodland trails, farmland and popular lakeside villages away from the lake to be explored and in turn offer up opportunities to enjoy the spectacular landscape from different angles.
Our route
When planning the route we decided to take our time and walk it over 2 days. We did not want to do the entire traditional way marked route therefore decided to split the walk into two - starting from Patterdale we would walk to Pooley Bridge but would remain high above the lake and not go via the lake shore. After staying the night in Pooley Bridge we would return to Patterdale via the traditional route. We felt this worked well and gave us the opportunity to get up high, add a bit more variety to the walk and also avoid the crowds walking along the lakeshore on a Sunday.
Useful Links
The Ullswater Association (Ullswater Way link) is here
Lake District National Park (Ullswater Way link) is here
Ullswater Guide (Ullswater Way link) is here
Friends of the Ullswater Way (Ullswater Way link) is here
The report of both days walking contains the route details and the relevant GPX file. If the GPX file fails to download or presents itself as an XML file once downloaded then please feel free to contact me and I will send you the GPX file via e-mail.
There are also two additional loops that can be added on to the walk in order to explore further afield. Firstly, the Dalemain Loop passes through historical pasture to the stately Dalemain mansion and on to the ancient church of Dacre with its four stone bears. Secondly, the Lowther Castle Loop includes a beautiful riverside walk and the charming villages of Askham and Lowther.
The route itself does not predominately follow the lake shore. Indeed, the challenges of negotiating access wholly around the lake were deemed impossible to achieve. Therefore it was decided to utilise the rights of way and pathways already in existence thus enabling shoreline paths, woodland trails, farmland and popular lakeside villages away from the lake to be explored and in turn offer up opportunities to enjoy the spectacular landscape from different angles.
Our route
When planning the route we decided to take our time and walk it over 2 days. We did not want to do the entire traditional way marked route therefore decided to split the walk into two - starting from Patterdale we would walk to Pooley Bridge but would remain high above the lake and not go via the lake shore. After staying the night in Pooley Bridge we would return to Patterdale via the traditional route. We felt this worked well and gave us the opportunity to get up high, add a bit more variety to the walk and also avoid the crowds walking along the lakeshore on a Sunday.
Useful Links
The Ullswater Association (Ullswater Way link) is here
Lake District National Park (Ullswater Way link) is here
Ullswater Guide (Ullswater Way link) is here
Friends of the Ullswater Way (Ullswater Way link) is here
The report of both days walking contains the route details and the relevant GPX file. If the GPX file fails to download or presents itself as an XML file once downloaded then please feel free to contact me and I will send you the GPX file via e-mail.
Read on for an account of when we completed the Ullswater Way in March 2022