To fully appreciate the beauty of Ullswater take the ferry to the quieter southern shores and walk back. The path is delightful and the ever changing lakeside views always interesting.
I agree with Wainwright. This is the finest lakeside walk in the Lake District. The path from Howtown to Glenridding winds its way gently alongside the shoreline. It passes through some beautiful woodland before it climbs hundreds of feet above the hamlet of Sandwick and the privately owned Scarehow Wood. The path then undulates along the shore, always with pretty views up and down the lake. It finally breaks out of the woods at Silver Crag, a great spot to watch the world go by. From Silver Crag the path becomes busier as the trippers appear out of Glenridding and Patterdale. However the good views continue and only deteriorate when the lake ends The final mile or so is a bit of a let down.
The walk is quite long for a lowland walk. However this adds to the appeal and turns the day in to more of an adventure. Many have under estimated the distance and undulation but very few are unsatisfied when they are finished.
The only way of exploring these southern banks of Ullswater is on foot (or by boat) and the walk is much better for it. I prefer taking the ferry to Howtown first which removes any stress of meeting the timetable and therefore enabling a more relaxed and enjoyable walk.
It is possible to include Hallin Fell on the walk and rejoining the Lakeside path at Sandwick, not a bad option but avoids some of the best of the lakeside.
The Beauty of Ullswater is one of the 25 best walks in the Lake District
Take the ferry from Glenridding to Howtown. Check the latest times and it takes 40 minutes.
Walking alongside a lake should pose no navigational challenges. However it is worth checking the ups and downs of the walk. Look at the number of contours (every 10m on 0/S maps). There are a number on this walk which is why it may be harder than anticipated.
Hi. Did this yesterday (3/7/14) and included Hallin Fell. Really glad we did too as, for us, it was the best part of the walk. The views of Ullswater from the top are amongst the best around. There was a good path up a few hundred metres after passing the boathouse.(438201) My wife didn’t fancy going off the front of the fell (after being spooked by the descent of the front of The Nab the day before) so we took the easy wide grassy path down (south east) to the church in Martindale (where we had started the “Airy Martindale Round” the previous day). There was a lovely path from there signposted Doe Green which took you back towards the lakeside path.
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