Glencoyne from Silver Point, Ullswater
A grey Sunday morning in late April saw the usual Lakes crew taking the Ullswater steamer from Glenridding to Howtown for a wonderful low-level walk around the lake. The day before we'd had to abandon an attempt on Blencathra just below the start of Sharp Edge due to thick fog but still had a long, tough walk and this combination of boat ride and stroll was the perfect morning-after cure.
We arrived at the pier early for the 9.45am steamer. No bad thing - we drank coffee from the café and watched Swallows, Swifts, House and Sand Martins circling over the water whilst a pair of Oystercatcher fed on the shingle shore opposite.
By Ennor under Creative Commons licence
From Glenridding, we took the steamer north up the lake. The low cloud and complete absence of wind created a surreal atmosphere, and we had some fantastic views of both shores as well as a close encounter with a pair of Goosander.
Sandwick Bay from the water, Ullswater
Just over 1 kilometre from the pier, on the eastern shore, lies Silver Point. This is a fantastic viewpoint and one that got well-used by our group on the walk back, for lunch and photos.
Silver Point from the water, Ullswater
We arrived at the pier early for the 9.45am steamer. No bad thing - we drank coffee from the café and watched Swallows, Swifts, House and Sand Martins circling over the water whilst a pair of Oystercatcher fed on the shingle shore opposite. By Ennor under Creative Commons licence
Sandwick Bay from the water, Ullswater
Silver Point from the water, Ullswater
Coming into Howtown: Waternook
After 40 relaxing minutes we steered into Howtown harbour. The steamer goes on to Pooley Bridge but we left it here for the 5.5 mile (9km) walk back to Glenridding. The route follows a narrow road around the edge of the bay before turning off onto a path that goes behind Waternook (see photo above) and runs beneath Hallin Fell along the shore, both in the open and through Hallinhag Wood. Male Willow Warblers were singing their melancholy descending cadences and other small woodland birds - Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Robins and a Wren - were often calling or flitting across the path. On the lake beside us, eight Canada Geese and pairs of Mallard and Mute Swan kept us company.
Past Sandwick Bay and Beckside Farm, the path stays inland for a kilometre or so. Approaching Low Birk Fell, Scalehow Force waterfall comes into view away to the left, and a short climb up the beck allows you to see the falls. Along Birk Fell, there's another beautiful stretch of birch woodland here; more Willow Warblers were calling and two Lesser Redpoll perched in a tree on the shore, allowing fine views. After stopping to let about twenty mountain bikes past - we only saw a handful of other people on the whole route - we headed on again for Silver Point and stopped for lunch and photos overlooking the lake.
Birk Fell from Silver Point
Glencoyne and boats from Silver Point, Ullswater
Silver birch, Silver Point, Ullswater
From the point, we headed south on the shore side of Silver Crag to the foot of the lake and took the footpath across Side Farm to Patterdale. From here, it's just over 1 kilometre along the road to Glenridding and the completion of a fantastic walk.
