Ullswater walk overview:
Ullswater walk distance: 6.8 miles
Ullswater walk Time: 4 hours with stops
Ullswater walk difficulty: Moderate.
There is nothing too taxing about this walk except walking up the hill to Gowbarrow Fell which is quite steep! A few stops are needed to admire the view :-)
Map of this long Ullswater walking route:
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Here you can see the steep section of the walk heading up to Gowbarrow fell which begins roughly just after halfway on this walk |
A shorter walk route option starting from Aira Force:
Photos of the stunning longer Ullswater walk from Watermillock
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The first part of the walk is nice and leisurely - nothing too strenuous on this first half of the walk. |
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Looking back at Watermillock Church |
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The walk through Swinburn Park woodland is really sheltered and nice and peaceful. |
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A glimpse of Ullswater |
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It's now only 1.5 miles to Aira Force |
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The views of Ullswater start getting canny impressive now and there are lots of places to stop and admire the view! |
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We are approaching the Memorial Seat now - but a perfect place to stop and soak in the views is just through the gate on the rocky outcrop just left of centre of this photo |
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When the sun is beaming on an Autumn day like this you could stay here for ages |
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Here's the stone Memorial Seat just to the right - more often than not someone will be sat here on a weekend. If it's free - take a seat :-) |
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Onwards we go - and the views on this section of the walk are just stunning along every step of the way. |
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We descend a little now and head towards Aira Force |
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This section of the walk takes in the woodland that surrounds Aira Force |
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Here you can see the lower bridge where you will get the best views of Aira Force waterfall - perhaps the Lake Districts most popular waterfall |
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After passing the top of Aira Force it's a case of tracking the river via the path that snakes around it and you will get some impressive views of ravines and smaller waterfalls. |
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As you are in deep woodland here - look for the signs to keep you right :) |
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This section is the only steep section of the walk really - and it does get the heart pumping. |
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Using the excuse of stopping to take a photo to catch my breath :) |
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You get some cracking views on the walk up to Gowbarrow |
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Not far now - just a little more uphill walking to go |
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Approaching the summit of Gowbarrow fell - there's quite a few people already there |
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Made it. There's some good views once you reach the summit of the surrounding area - such as this one of Blencathra in the distance. |
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Here you can see part of Swinburn Park woodland which we walked through at the start of the walk. |
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The draw back of the summit of Gowbarrow Fell - is that you don't actually get clear views of Ullswater - so I suggest a little detour to that next little hill to see a bit of Ullswater. |
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This is the view back on the actual summit of Gowbarrow Fell - and we'll be heading down to the treeline and then keeping to the left side of it as we view it from here. |
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At this point the path is pretty much in a straight-line and over a wall to the little summit of Great Melddrum, but it does get a little boggy before we pass over the wall. |
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Looking back towards the summit of Gowbarrow Fell |
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It's a little barren up here - but the path is clearly marked. |
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On this route - the path will track the treeline on the right - then take a left turning and track the distant treeline |
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The path is still well-marked |
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Tracking the tree-line once again - but beware it can be a little boggy here after heavy rain - good jobs we are wearing boots! |
And that is that! Hope you enjoyed reading this post and getting a feel for the views on this walk. As mentioned at the start of the blog there is this longer route you can do around Gowbarrow Fell - or you can do the shorter route which starts from Aira Force car park. Which ever one you do you will get some stunning views - some of the best in the lakes for that matter - so I hope I have inspired you to want to do a walk in this area. Happy walking!
Blog Post by Stuart Hodgson, 'The Hiking Photographer'
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Stuart Hodgson is an amateur landscape photographer, keen traveller, blogger and outdoors enthusiast. He is also a professional graphic designer, and enjoys linking up with people who share similar interests & passions. You can view lots of his creative work at ww.stuart-hodgson.com
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