Remember: Press F11 for a full screen view of this page.
 

 

The Classic Howtown Lakeside Walk

Date & start time: Monday 21st June 2010, 12.25 pm start.

Location of Start : parking near the Steamer Pier, Patterdale, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 388 164 )

Places visited : Patterdale, Silver Point, Sandwick Bay, Howtown Pier and back by Lake Steamer.

Walk details : 6.2 mls, 1000 ft, 4 hrs 30 mins including lunch ( 5 hrs 20 min including steamer trip )

Highest point : Above Sandwick Bay 700 ft - 215m.

Walked with : Kathryn, Gareth, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Sunshine and blue skies, very hot out of the trees.

 

 The Clsssic Howtown Walk at EveryTrail

 

On the last day of Kathryn's visit we opted for a classic low level walk

incorporated with a boat ride rather than the train ride return of Saturday's walk.

We're off to Ullswater . . . to walk the lakeside path from Glenridding to Howtown.

A beautiful sunny day as we top the rise and descend to Ullswater.

Our walk would take us along the lake path, under the steep slopes of Place Fell, on the opposite shore of the lake.

Ullswater Pier.

We parked the car and walked away from the pier, leaving our boat trip for the return leg of our walk.

Patterdale Post Box and Arnison Crag behind.
One of the mighty trees in the Patterdale Hall Woods.
   

Five and a half mile to go . . .

plus the mile or so it took to get to this point !

Posh Tesco hanging baskets of flowers . . .

an example of re-use rather than re-cycling ?

Team photo today . . . Ann, Kathryn, Gareth and Harry.

Bethan out of photo as usual !

Nethermost, Dollywagon and the climb to "Hole in the Wall" . . . all features of Patterdale's Grisedale Valley.

Flotillas of Canada Geese have been a feature on several of our recent walks.

A flotilla of cattle ?

Someone please explain why they are standing out in the open on such a hot day.

Glenridding and the Ullswater Hotel . . . " The Inn on the Lake "

Harry finds a cool spot as befits the hot day.
Big skies as we walk along the lakeside path.

I stop to talk to a lady with two black Lurchers.

Ullswater is ever present on this walk and during the day the lake steamers passed with time tabled regularity.

Across the way is The Raven passing below Glenridding Dodd and Heron Pike.

Kathryn and Ann nearing Silver Point.

Juniper bushes line this part of the track to Howtown.

First view of Gowbarrow and Aira Force Woods.

Almost a direct reversal of our first photo of today.

A calm lake and gentle breezes encourage us down to the water side for a spot of lunch.

Harry wants to play.

Retrieving sticks before lunch.

The boat house and stonework of Lyulph's Tower

are almost hidden behind the yacht and the trees on the opposite shore.

Time passes . . . and so do the steamers as we sit and enjoy our break.

This is the Lady Dorothy making her way towards Howtown and Pooley Bridge.

. . . and shortly afterwards, The Lady of the Lake making for Glenridding.

Away from the trees the temperature rises and the sun becomes more intense.

Very little water in the Scalehow Beck,

the waterfall on the fell side above being quiet and almost non-existent today.

The section of the path behind Scalehow Woods and Sandwick Bay see us climbing to the highest part of the walk.

For a lakeside path there were numerous ups and downs and the best guess for today's climbing was around a thousand feet in total.

Heading back down to the lake past the nicely maintained houses of Sandwick Village.

There was someone out doing the gardening and the farmer was working the sheep in the yard below the end of the cottages.

This was the first time I have seen signs of life in the village in the three or four times we have passed through here in recent years.

The diversion around Sandwick complete, we are back down on the lakeside again.

Three ways to cool down on this very warm day . . . have a drink, take a swim or just keep in the shade !

Dappled sunshine as we walk along the path around Hallin Fell.

The Lady Dorothy passes us again as it makes it's way back to Glenridding.

Big skies over Kailpot Crags, the low headland below Hallin Fell.

A fallen section of pine tree allows our imagination to wonder.

A millipede, great teeth or an Ullswater monster to rival Loch Ness, should it ever be floated off into the lake ?

Out of the woodland for the last time as we leave Kailpot.

On our way back (on the boat) we noticed a plaque placed just above the water line on the outer rocks of this headland.

An internet search provided the answer to what we saw :

" Lord Birkett was a strong defender of the Lake District and was instrumental in the defeat of a plan to raise Ullswater and convert it into a reservoir. The plaque high on Hartside Fell bears a cairn built of stone from the lakeshore, with a slate plaque inscribed "Birkett Fell". A second memorial on Kailpot Crag carries the inscription "He loved Ullswater. He strove to maintain its beauty for all to enjoy."

He certainly did that.

Rounding the corner we get our first view of Howtown Bay

with Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Fell behind.

A view down Ullswater towards Pooley Bridge.

The air is clear today and the visibility wonderful.

Nearly there . . . after a hot and surprisingly undulating walk.

The meadows at Howtown were full of summer flowers today.

Don't panic . . . that's The Raven . . . heading for Pooley Bridge once more.

Ours is the next boat in the other direction.

With a fast spin of her propeller she was gone . . . heading quickly away down the lake . . .

. . . to allow our boat access to the pier and for us to board

ready for our return to Glenridding.

Goodbye to Howtown for another day.

" Life on the ocean wave "

We sit and enjoy the view.

What took us four and a half hours to walk one way would be over all to soon . . . forty minutes from now.

No need to look up the name of this boat.

Turning the corner, the flag now flying sideways in the strengthening breeze.

The trees around Blowick Bay mean we are nearing the end of our trip.

The high fells of Hartsop and Caudale Moor as we pass a small island at the head of the lake.

Ready to leave after a lovely walk and boat ride back.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Our boat trip video from today.

- - - o o o o - - -

Parking on the main road near the jetty meant we had just a short walk back to the car.

- - - o o o o - - -

On the way home we diverted slightly to show Gareth and Kathryn the fallen bridge at Lorton.

No work has been done on site since the floods demolished the bridge last November but plans are agreed

and work should start soon on rebuilding the bridge.

The bridge was washed away in the November floods 2009

Click here to see my report from the days of the floods.

If they don't start soon and it rains again it will be a pig of a job !

- - - o o o o - - -

What more could you ask for than a lovely sunset from our garden

to end such a delightful day.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a ticket to ride !

Go to Top

© RmH.2010 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry

Previous walk - 20th June 2010 Rannerdale with Gareth& Kathryn

A previous time up here - Wednesday 22nd July 2009 Howtown to Patterdale (the other way)

Next walk - 25th June 2010 The Railway Children 3 Peaks Event

Click here for the Ullswater Steamers web site

and their newsletter about their new boat, the Western Belle.