Essential Hotels > England > Cumbria > Ullswater

Ullswater is one of the largest lakes in the Lake District National Park, and at approximately nine miles long it is second in size only to Windermere. The area in and around Ullswater is beautifully scenic, with the waters surrounded by towering peaks. Like the rest of Lakeland, Ullswater was created by glacial movement during the Ice Age, Shifting water movement carved out the deep valley, shaping the lake and giving it its distinctive narrow, elongated profile. Unlike its neighbouring lakes of Grasmere and Windermere, Ullswater is not home to a lakeside town of the same name. Instead, its length is peppered with small villages such as Patterdale and Glenridding at the southern tip, and Pooley Bridge at the northern end.

The area around the bottom of Ullswater is commonly used as a base for hikers and climbers. In particular, it makes a good starting point for those ascending Helvellyn, which is one of the highest mountains in not only the Lake District, but also England. It is considered somewhat challenging towards the top, but rewarding. Near the apex, the Striding and Swirral edges overshadow the Red Tarn lake. It is a breathtaking experience.

All of the villages on the Ullswater shores are relatively small, promoting the rural idyll for which this part of the Lake District National Park is famed. A traditional steamer service traverses the lake between several of them, including Glenridding and Pooley Bridge. However, Patterdale is only roughly twenty minutes by car from Ambleside, Grasmere and Windermere. This means visitors have the option of taking in the peaceful serenity of Ullswater, or heading towards the (slightly) more heavily populated areas to the south. Ambleside and Grasmere have famous links and heritage sites related to the poet William Wordsworth and children’s author and mycologist, Beatrix Potter. Windermere, on the other hand, is famous as the biggest and best-known mere in the Lake District, and is the largest town in the immediate area in terms of shopping and restaurants. At the other side of Ullswater, in Pooley Bridge, guests are only six miles from the historic market town of Penrith.