We’ve teamed up with HikerHero, who will be sharing some of his experiences of Lake District walks – and hopefully inspiring you to get your boots on and get out into the countryside…..
The shimmering waters of Ullswater have inspired painters and writers for centuries. Turner and Girtin painted its beauty, while Ruskin and Wordsworth sought to capture its majesty in prose and poetry.
I can’t paint, and I can barely spell, but Ullswater inspired me to lace up my hiking boots and take a walk.
Even better, I managed to persuade my better half to join me, with the allure of an overnight stay lakeside providing extra motivation.
As the second-largest of the Lake District’s lakes, Ullswater is just under eight miles in length and varies in width from 658ft to over half a mile as its waters wind their way between some of Cumbria’s most dramatic hills and fells, creating some of the most beguiling views in England.
In 2016, the wonderful folks at the Lake District National Park Authority created the Ullswater Way, a 20-mile way-marked hiking trail that follows the shoreline of Ullswater where possible. Where it’s not along the shoreline, it takes you along quiet lanes or up into the surrounding hillsides.
What attracted me to this hike, aside from the promise of stunning natural beauty, was the distance and the availability of accommodation en route.
A 20-mile hike is the perfect two-day, one-night distance. And Ullswater has a village at each end, Glenridding at the south and Pooley Bridge to the north, providing ideal halfway rest points.
Ten miles a day equates to about five to six hours of hiking, leaving more than enough time during the day to sit on benches, eat sandwiches, or enjoy a cheeky pint in a local pub.
Or, in the case of this hike, sit on our balcony in our dressing gowns watching boats float on the water.
One day in June of this year, we parked in the village of Glenridding at the south end of the lake and set off walking counterclockwise around the lake.
The trail was gentle and impossible to lose, meaning all we had to worry about was which viewpoint to stop for snack breaks and which quaint tearoom to choose for a pitstop.
Just as we were feeling parched, we rounded a corner and were met with the beguiling view of the creeper-clad Howton Hotel and Tearooms, nestled in their very own valley. After enjoying a giant bowl of soup, we resumed our journey, skimming stones and waving greetings to a bemused-looking field of alpacas.
As we got closer to Pooley Bridge, the village that marks the northern end of Ullswater, the trail meandered past a few bustling campsites, and we had the chance to observe all sorts of waterborne activities, from stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking to traditional old-school paddling.
We stocked up on provisions for the evening at possibly the best corner shop/off-licence in the UK, Chestnut House.
Its wares are spread over two levels, and the shelves are stocked with everything you could ever want, including hundreds of different exotic types of booze, including their very own homebrewed gin. Like I said, not your average corner shop.
Our accommodation for the night was the admittedly high-end Duke of Portland Boathouse, which you might deduce from the name is a converted boathouse that once belonged to the 3rd Duke of Portland, one William Cavendish-Bentinck. A chap who was Prime Minister not once, but twice. Nope, I hadn’t heard of him either. But this was back in the 18th century.
Day two was more of the same, gentle strolling accompanied by awe-inspiring views across Ullswater’s gentle waters. That is until mid-afternoon when we came across Gowbarrow Park, an 18th century pleasure ground which is home to the picture-perfect Aira Force waterfall.
Technically, the five-minute hike from the shoreline to the 65ft waterfall is a tiny detour off the Ullswater Way. But considering people have been traveling across the country to see Aira Force for 300 years now, it seemed like one worth taking.
Oh, and it’s a doozy, the combination of cascading water and a stunning early 20th century stone bridge is, in the hiker’s opinion, a rare example of human intervention not messing up nature’s design. The bridge seems organic and growing out of the cliff face.
After the drama of Aira Force, the final leg of the Ullswater Way is a calming stroll along the water’s edge, leading us back to our waiting car in Glenridding. As we pulled out of the car park, we took one last look at the waters of Ullswater, shimmering away, their timeless beauty waiting to inspire the next painter, poet, or hiker who crosses their path.
Who is HikerHero?
Mike McLeish is the head hiker, chief boot cleaner, and master sandwich maker at HikerHero.com HQ, a blog dedicated to inspiring you to lace up your hiking boots and explore the Great British countryside.
When he’s not halfway up a muddy hill, you’ll find him on his laptop building websites.
