Glenridding to Howtown - A cycle route around Ulswater Lake

The route starts from the car park at Hartsop. There is no charge for using this small car park, there is however an honesty box fo you to show your appreciation.

It is also a popular starting point for hill walkers climbing on the High Street range and the Helvellyn range.

Hartsop is a small village in the Patterdale valley, near Brothers Water, Hayeswater and Kirkstone Pass.

It consists of 17th Century grey stone cottages, like so many of its neighbours. Hartsop retains its historic image, in that, in common with a number of other small Cumbrian villages, it had houses with spinning galleries. It was also a lead mining community.

The A592 can be busy at certain times of the day (although you wouldn’t think so from this picture), so take a little more care.

The scenery as the route sets off is magnificent.

St. Patrick’s Boat Landing in Glenridding has everything you need to fully appreciate the experience of Lake Ullswater:

Self-drive motor boats
Self-drive fishing boats
Rowing boats
Mountain bikes

There is free customer parking and the hot and cold homemade refreshments.

Glenridding is a village located at the southern end of Ullswater. The village is popular with tourists of all kinds but especially mountain walkers who can scale England's third highest mountain, Helvellyn, and many other challenging peaks from here.
The village has ample accommodation including two Youth Hostels and good camping sites. There is also a tourist information centre, Ullswater Information Centre.

This Hotel featured in the BBC TV drama The Lakes

Glenridding is home to the Ullswater Steamers, part of Ullswater Navigation and Transit Company Limited, which started operating steamer services in 1859 carrying mail, provisions and passengers around Ullswater.

Ullswater Steamers take passengers on leisurely trips from Pooley Bridge Pier to the villages of Howtown and Glenridding.

The wooden pier house has a cafe selling light refreshments.

Pooley Bridge dates back to an ancient settlement on the River Eamont, situated at the point where it leaves Ullswater. The village derives its name from a large pool which once existed in the River Eamont, just before it flowed out of Ullswater. The present stone bridge which spans the Eamont was built in the sixteenth century and provides some excellent views up the River towards the lake.
In the past Pooley Bridge was a busy market town with a fishing and farming community. The village has both hotels, guest house accomodation, a number of well appointed campsites and a Tourist Information Centre. The village church, St. Paul's which stands in the main street dates from 1868.

A popular Hotel with the rich and famous!

Howtown lies behind a small harbour on the east shore of Ullswater about three and a half miles from Pooley Bridge.

The Ullswater steamers stop there here their way from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge

From Howtown the route rises steadily and soon leads to a serious climb where the road zig- zags tightly. This hard ascent leads to Martindale.

The view from the top of Boredale Hause is magnificent. Well worth the climb!

The Last section of the route is off road. The track starts of reasonably flat and easy to cycle.

The off road up-hill section of the route gradually gets steeper but is fairly easy to ride until the last 100 feet which may require carrying the bike!

The final stretch off road back to Hartsop is fairly flat but the scenery is no less beautiful!