The Lake District: Discovering Ullswater

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The Lake District has often been described in a catalogue of adjectives – by everyone from famous literary figures like William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter to, well, people like me. Wordsworth prescribed it the ‘loveliest spot that man hath found’ and Potter declared ‘not even Hitler can damage the Fells’. My verdict – quite simply – it is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

The Lake District is a National Park in the north of England, covering most of the county of Cumbria. It’s known for its ‘lakes’ (though it actually only has 1 – most of the bodies of waters are tarns or meres), its peaks, its stunning landscapes and glorious vistas. You could easily spend months in this area and only scratch the surface, so with only a week we could cover just a little. But it was enough to fall in love with this incredible part of England, and one I will most definitely return to.

There are many ‘lakes’ in the Lake District – we stayed at one of the most popular, Windermere, but did day trips throughout the region to discover further afield. One such day trip was to Ullswater in the north east of the area which was the perfect place to spend a full day.


Start off early to beat the crowds, and start taking in Ullswater by foot. The Ullswater Way runs for 2o miles around the shore of the lake and is perfect if you’re not wanting to do lots of hard climbing (more of that later). You don’t have to walk the whole thing either – you could walk a section and then return by bus, or return by boat with multiple boat pick up/drop off points around the lake.

One of the most popular things to do is take an Ullswater steamer boat from Glenridding to Howtown and then walk back from there. We actually chose to walk for an hour along the shore from Glenridding, and then just walk back again in land to see some of the little villages in the area.

The ‘steamers’ as they are affectionately known were initially built in the 1880s for use on the lake transporting cargo, animals and people. Nowadays they have been restored, run on diesel and provide tours to people around Ullswater. There are pick off/drop off points at Glenridding, Howtown, Pooley Bridge and Aira Force. We chose to go round the lake in totality to just enjoy the views and sunshine.

Glenridding is a lovely little area and makes the perfect place to stop for elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner depending on your day. We ended up here for lunch and headed to the Inn on the Lake. The garden views are unrivalled, and the food was 10/10 delicious.

The best garden views

After lunch, we headed to The National Trust site of Aira Force is home to a lovely waterfall, lots of varied woodland walking trails and beautiful cascades at the source of the waterfall. There’s plenty of parking on site, but again you could get a ‘steamer’ to the site and then return to Glenridding on foot. We walked a 3km route from the car park to the waterfall, to the high cascades and back again.

We saved the best until last on our visit to Ullswater. I knew I wanted sweeping views out over the lake, not just to walk around it, so for the final flurry of the day, we hiked up Arnison Crag. Arnison Crag is a ‘fell’ (basically a mountain) with a 900ft ascent to reach the top, including steep walking paths and a bit of a scramble to reach the top.

The ascent

There are other options for walking and views in the area. The highest and most famous peak in the area is Hevellyn but you really need to be fit and have the whole day to hike this mountain. Alternatively, you could choose to do the much, much easier Silver Point Walk which includes views down to Ullswater. Or you could do something like Angle Tarn which is a moderate walk and also provides lovely views.

Arnison Crag was spectacular. The climb was hard, but as the distance was only 3km – directly up and down – it didn’t feel too bad. In total, including a lot of photo stops, we completed the walk in just under 2 hours. The route we followed is HERE. We ended the walk in Patterdale, at a pub, for a well earned drink before heading back to Windermere.

Incredible views from Arnison Crag

After such a busy day I was absolutely exhausted and collapsed in to my hotel hottub to rest my weary legs….before getting ready to walk again the next day!

Thank you so much for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed my little tour of Ullswater. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

34 responses to “The Lake District: Discovering Ullswater”

  1. As a keen hiker and hillwalker, I very much enjoyed your little tour of Ullswater – the views are stunning and the landscape is green and so similar to what we have in Ireland. I’d say with such a plethora of excellent trails and dramatic hills to explore there is something for anyone. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed it Aiva. It definitely is very green with lots of incredible hikes, walks and climbs for everyone. I hope to get to go back again one day – a definite benefit of travel restrictions or I probably never would have gone! Thanks for reading and have a good day 🙂 xx

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  2. I’ve been wanting to visit the Lake District for YEARS, especially while I was still living in Europe. I am so mad that I never got around to visiting that part of the UK…I’m making it my goal to head over there should I return someday!

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    1. Definitely, it’s such an amazing part of the country. I doubt I’d have visited either if not for the travel restrictions, so very glad I got to go! Have a great Sunday 🙂

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  3. Gorgeous shots Han, such a deep green throughout. I managed an all-too-brief visit to The Lake District a few years back, still unblogged. But all the spots you’ve mentioned are new to me. Next time!

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    1. Thanks so much Leighton! Definitely next time – it’s a beautiful area well worth a visit if you’re back in England 🙂

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  4. It would be fun to visit. It is loaded with beauty and adventure. Thanks for cluing me in to this national park.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So glad you like it – thanks so much for reading 🙂

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  5. Great photos! I had no idea this place existed. What a beautiful location!

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    1. Ahh I’m so pleased to show you somewhere new Diana. I feel like the North of England is always overlooked by visitors who focus on London so it’s nice to be showing much more of England this year on the blog given it’s the only place I can visit with the travel restrictions 🙂

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  6. A lovely post Hannah which brought back find memories as we spent our honeymoon in Glenridding. Beautiful photos of the fells on your visit.

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    1. Thanks so much Marion. Oh wow, what a beautiful place for your honeymoon, it must have been so special 🙂

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  7. Green green everywhere, lovely pics!!!

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    1. Sooo much green – it felt lovely being away from it all and getting out in to nature. Thanks for reading Jyothi 🙂

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  8. The Lake District looks like a beautiful area to take a stroll and explore. The landscape looks breathtaking and right out of a fairy tale.

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    1. Thanks so much! It really is such a beautiful part of England which is often overlooked by visitors but well worth heading north for! Thanks for reading 🙂

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  9. What a gorgeous place for hiking. I’ve read a few books by Rachel Lynch. They’re murder mystery quick reads that take place in the Lake District. Your pictures look just like many of the descriptions in the books. Now I really want to visit! Maggie

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    1. Oh I’ll have to take a look at those, I haven’t heard of them! I’m so pleased you like my pictures though, it really is a beautiful part of England 🙂

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  10. I love the look of the lake and your views from Arnison Crag! You sure did pack some kilometers in for the day … that drink at the pub and soaking in the hot tub sounds like the right medicine for tired legs 😁. Lovely photo’s of a beautiful place indeed!

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    1. Thank you so much….yes we definitely got the steps in that day haha! Thanks so much for reading 🙂

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  11. Enjoyed the story and photos – so green and inviting. I especially liked the opening shots of the lake. Looks like a great place to hike and explore.

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    1. Thanks so much Ruth, really glad you like the post. It’s such a beautiful part of England for sure 🙂

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  12. I look forward to reading more. I want to visit hete

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    1. So glad you’re enjoying reading about this wonderful area of England – it really is worth a visit 🙂

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  13. Dry enjoyable read and has helped me get excited for my two weeks away in the lakes next weekend!

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    1. Ahhh I hope you have a wonderful time in the Lakes – can’t wait to read all about it 🙂

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  14. Looks and sounds absolutely amazing, dear Hannah ~ high praise (“most beautiful place I’ve ever seen”), indeed, given your broad travel experiences. The expansive views are wonderful, and I love the old arched-stone bridge above the waterfall. Congratulations on your visit, and thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures 😊

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    1. Ahh thank you so much Phil, I’m so glad you enjoyed reading about it. It really is a beautiful part of England and I was so lucky to be able to visit it 🙂 Have a great day!

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      1. Thank you, my friend ~ you too 🙂

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  15. Absolutely stunning part of the world, it’s part of me reporting patch so I get to head up a few times a month for stories and every time, no matter the weather it takes my breath away. So glad you enjoyed Ullswater fab pictures too x

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    1. Ahh thanks so much Sarah. You’re so lucky to be able to visit so often, it’s such an incredible part of the country 🙂

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  16. […] days in Windermere exploring, and then branched out to do other day trips, such as Ullswater (post HERE) and Coniston (post HERE) to see more of the region and make a week of it. We really enjoyed […]

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  17. […] Fell and Helvellyn. It’s also close enough to some of the other well known Lakes, such as Ullswater and Coniston. You can read my post on what to do in Windermere […]

    Like

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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