FAMOUS PLACES TO VISIT IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

ULLSWATER

Ullswater is one of the most well known places in the Lake District, and whether you are coming to the region to enjoy the landscapes, the lakes and the fells or simply to soak up the atmosphere of the town, you will not be disappointed.

Ullswater is 8 miles long and has a sinuous appearance and a setting which gets progressively grander with the passing miles. It was on the shore of this great lake that William and Dorothy Wordsworth saw the 'dancing' daffodils. Dorothy Wordsworth jotted in her journal her impressions of 'a few daffodils' close to the waterside. She placed the spot 'beyond Gowbarrow Park' . Wrote Dorothy in 1802: 'They grew among the mossy stones about and about them; some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness; and the rest tossed and reeled and danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind Between 1804 and 1807, Wordsworth adapted her prose as a poem, beginning: 'I wandered lonely as a cloud .

AIRA FORCE

Aira Force belongs to the National Trust, which has provided adequate car parking facilities. The falls are seen after following a good path that climbs steadily for about a quarter of a mile (0.5km). The slender waterfall tumbles a total of 60ft (18m) in a gorge flanked by trees.

A small stone bridge spans the gorge. The Force has occasionally frozen, becoming an impressive icicle. Gowbarrow Fell (a former deer park) is a place on which to wander, at relatively low elevation, with grand views of Ullswater. Walk on to Gowbarrow by going northwards from the Aira Force car park, then bearing left to the ruins of a shooting lodge. After reaching the summit, continue to the valley of Aira Beck and return via the popular footpath used by visitors to the falls.

Be Glenridding is said to mean 'glen overgrown with bracken'. Since the Greenside Lead Mines closed in 1962, after being worked for three centuries, the area has been landscaped. The village is almost entirely touristy, but attractive. A bridleway links up with a footpath extending to the summit of Helvellyn, a mysterious hill. The name is possibly Celtic, but no convincing derivation has been advanced. A Climb can also be made from Glenridding but this is only advisable if you are an experienced climber.

ULLSWATER STEAMERS – LADIES OF THE LAKE

Ullswater Steamers operates daily services (open all year, weather permitting; closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and the boats include: Raven, Lady of the Lake, and the smaller vessel, Lady Dorothy. The 'Steamers' sail from Glenridding, Howtown and Pooley Bridge, offering one and two-hour cruises. One-way sailings are ideal for eager walkers exploring the valley, and if you are staying nearby and want to sail around the lakes and stop off at different points, special tickets are available.

Patterdale, between Glenridding and Brothers Water, is named after St Patrick. A local tradition has it that the saint took refuge here after being shipwrecked on Duddon Sands in A0540. The church is dedicated to the saint, who is said to have preached in this area and baptised converts at a lakeside spring.

DOVEDALE AND HARTSOP

Dovedale, a tributary valley, ends on the shores of Brothers Water, an expanse of water under half a mile (0.8km) long and a quarter of a mile wide. The name was formerly Broad Water, but romance invests it with the sad tale of two brothers who drowned when ice broke beneath them. This area is owned by the National Trust. From a car park near the outflow of the lake there is a pleasant walk to the vicinity of Hartsop Hall, a massive 15th century building. On the opposite side of the main road, the village of Hartsop, with 17th century buildings, reclines and a track continues into the Hayeswater Valley, under the massive bulk of High Street. The place name Hartsop means 'valley of the hart', which is apt, for red deer from the 'forest' at Martindale are seen in the area. Hartsop has a workaday farm and some dwellings with 'spinning galleries', where (it is said) spinsters spun wool from the fell sheep.

KIRKSTONE PASS LAKE DISTRICT

Kirkstone Pass is something special in a region rich in superlatives, though the crossing can be dreary in wet or misty weather. Near the summit is Kirkstone Pass Inn, which has evolved from a late 15th century building. The thick-walled, heavy roofed building looks across to the face of Red Screes. There are easier ways than the Screes for anyone wishing to gain the 2,541ft (775m) summit of Middle Dodd. A path from the car park leads northwards for about half a mile to where 'the kirk stone', a 10ft/3m boulder stands on an eminence near the road.

TROUTBECK VILLAGE

On the way down to Windermere, make a diversion to Troutbeck village, with its fascinating B assembly of 17th and 18th century buildings. ' The Mortal Man is an inn with a sign relating to an especially strong ale: Thou mortal man, who liv'st by bread, What is it makes thy nose so red? !Thou silly fool, that look'st so pale, Tis drinking Sally Birkett's ale.
Troutbeck is a great place to explore if you are looking for signs of the old Lake District. Lake District accommodation in Troutbeck and further down in Windermere and Bowness is plentiful, and midweek breaks, special offers in romantic hotels, guesthouses and B&B´s can be found easily online before you travel.

Several roadside wells in Troutbeck are dedicated to saints. At the southern end of the village, and appropriately named Townend, is a superb house, cared for by the National Trust (open April Oct, Tues Fri, Sun, Bank Holiday Mon 15pm or dusk if earlier). Townsend was built by a yeoman in the 17th century and lived in by the Browne family, generations of whom furnished it with an array of exquisitely carved wooden furnishings and a collection of over 1,500 books. The existence of this lovingly preserved library is historically significant.

Continue on the A592 towards Windermere, but look out for a sign relating to Holehird. The mansion, now a Cheshire Home providing care for people with disabilities is not open to the public, but the gardens are maintained by the Lakeland Horticultural Society and can be viewed (open April Oct, 1Oam-5pm). They include a wide range of alpine and rockery plants, and a tree, Davidia, which produces handkerchief like bracts in spring.
Walking in the Lake District and camping in the Lake District are popular pastimes, and there is no better place to base yourself than Troutbeck or Windermere, where you can explore the lakes at your leisure.

At the roundabout on the A591, go right for Ambleside and after passing through Troutbeck Bridge and along a stretch of road flanked by mature beeches, look out for a sign to the left for the National Park Centre, Brockhole. The grounds (open all year), with their splendid views of Windermere and the Langdale Pikes, were designed by Thomas Mawson in 1898. Brockhole offers audiovisual presentations, themed trails, boat cruises, dry stone walling, and exhibits. There is a splendid book shop and a cafe, and this is one of the most popular Lake District attractions.

AMBLE THROUGH AMBLESIDE

Ambleside is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the Lake District.Ambleside has been described as the hub of the wheel of beauty. Roads radiate into the central valleys, and Windermere Lake Cruises operates from Lakeside, a mile away. A trolley service runs between the pier and the White Lion Hotel in the town centre. Ambleside is a mainly Victorian town of splendid slate buildings constructed by craftsmen. The spire Victorian church contains a mural relating to a local custom, the Rush bearing, which takes place in July.

The diminutive Bridge House, beside Rydal Road, spans the beck and is an information centre run by the National Trust. Close by is the glassblowing workshop of Adrian Sankey, and higher up the beck is an old corn mill complete with waterwheel. Market day is Wednesday, when stalls are set up in King Street. Ambleside Museum and Armitt Library presents the history of Ambleside through various exhibits and activities.

STRUGGLE UP THE STRUGGLE LAKE DISTRICT

From Ambleside head back to the Kirkstone Pass, via the steep road known appropriately as The Struggle, which starts opposite the large car park on Rydal Road and crawls up a steep gradient to Kirkstone Pass Inn on the AS92. Look out for the views northward from the pass, which are magnificent. Soaring fellsides, littered with boulders, frame a picture of Brothers Water and the high fells east of Patterdale. Motor on through Glenridding to a point just beyond Watermillock and turn left on an unclassified road, following the signs to Wreay and Dacre.

DACRE THE LAKE DISTRICT

Dacre is something special, being genuine, with no tourist ploys, and having a history which boggles the mind. The church is believed to have been the site of Dacore, a monastery mentioned in Anglian times by the Venerable Bede, who relates that a young man whose eyelid was swelling at a fearful rate had it touched with a lock of the hair Ami of St Cuthbert and within a few hours had been cured. Dacre Castle (not open to the public) dates from the mid-14th century. It became the property of the Hasell family in 1723 and was then restored. A further restoration took place in the 1960s, when it became the home of Bunty Kinsman. Her amusing account of life at Dacre Castle was published in 1971 under the title Pawn Takes Castle.

DACRE CHURCH

In the corners of the graveyard are stone effigies known as the bears, which may have adorned the castle, or possibly marked the corner boundaries of a much older burial ground. The stones are much eroded and some believe that they represent lions, not bears. With this in mind look closely for the faint outline of what could be a man on one of the effigies. In any case, you may follow the story of a 'bear' leaning on a 'ragged staff', then the bear attacked by a creature on its back, and next reaching back to grab the cat. The last bear is in the course of consuming its attacker. The Norman church stands on an Anglian site with clear views of Dacre Castle from the churchyard. From Dacre, head for Penrith.

If you are based in Windermere, you can easily explore the Lake District by car, and you are never too far from anywhere if you want to spend a few days in different towns. Windermere and Bowness hotels include spa hotels, romantic hotels and boutique hotels to suit all tastes and budgets.