Patterdale

Why is Patterdale famous? Is it worth visiting?

Yes — if you have come for the walking and the lake, Patterdale is well worth it; if you want shops and nightlife, it is tiny and you should set expectations accordingly. What it does, it does superbly.

It is famous, first, as a mountain base: this is — with Glenridding — the launch point for Helvellyn and the knife-edge of Striding Edge, and it sits directly beneath St Sunday Crag, a fine middle-height fell. Second, for Ullswater — many people's favourite lake — which begins right here at the valley head. And third, as a Coast to Coast village: Wainwright's celebrated coast-to-coast walk comes over the fells into Patterdale, making it a natural overnight that gives the place a steady through-flow of long-distance walkers.

Add the unspoilt setting at the head of the dale, little Brothers Water, the old hamlet of Hartsop, and the Ullswater steamers a mile away at Glenridding pier, and there is far more here than the size of the village suggests. Check the live "Best fells today" conditions before you commit to the high tops.

The YHA / Patterdale youth hostel — what's happening?

This is the single most-searched question about Patterdale, so here is the short answer. YHA Patterdale, the large hostel by the road south of the village, was put up for sale by the YHA in 2023. In April 2024 it was bought by Delta Academies Trust, a group of schools, which uses the building as an outdoor-education centre for school groups. It is no longer a youth hostel you can book.

Source: Delta Outdoors — the history of Patterdale, read 4 October 2026.

For a hostel bed, the nearest YHA is YHA Helvellyn at Greenside, up the fellside above Glenridding; it was open and taking bookings when we checked on 4 October 2026. Otherwise there are Patterdale's B&Bs, the campsite at Side Farm and rooms at the village inns (see Where to stay).

Walks & fells from Patterdale

This is Patterdale's real depth, and where our fell and route guides earn their keep. Always check the live conditions and the mountain forecast first — Helvellyn and the edges are serious ground in poor weather.

Helvellyn — Patterdale and Glenridding together are the base for England's third-highest mountain. The classic line is the Striding Edge & Swirral Edge route Walked in part — an exposed grade-1 scramble and a classic British ridge walk — which starts from Glenridding a mile up the road. To the common question "how long does Helvellyn take from Patterdale?": the Striding Edge round takes about 4–5½ hours of walking from Glenridding, the time on our route page; add your stops and the mile each way between Patterdale and Glenridding, and allow longer in winter conditions.

St Sunday Crag — the magnificent fell that rises straight above the village, and arguably Patterdale's own mountain. Our walked St Sunday Crag route Walked January 2025 climbs it as a round over Birks and Arnison Crag, with superb views down Ullswater and across to Helvellyn's eastern crags.

Place Fell — the shapely lower fell across the valley, with what many rate the best view of Ullswater of any summit. It pairs beautifully with the Ullswater shore path back towards Glenridding for a classic, lower-level day when the high tops are out. Better still, use the boat: take the Ullswater Steamer from Glenridding to Howtown and walk back over the top, which turns an out-and-back into a proper traverse with the lake below you the whole way. Sail first and walk back, so a slow walk can't miss the last boat.

The High Street & Hartsop side — across the valley to the east, a big horseshoe of fells rises above Hartsop and Brothers Water: Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, Rest Dodd, The Knott, High Street itself and Kidsty Pike. To the south, Deepdale bites back into the Fairfield group, and the Fairfield Horseshoe route Walked April 2023 is within reach from the valley.

Use the fells on the map in Explore Patterdale, above, and the live "Best fells today" conditions to pick the right hill for the day.

The Coast to Coast

Patterdale is a well-loved overnight stop on Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk — the unofficial 190-mile route from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea. Walkers drop into Patterdale off the high fells (the celebrated stage over Grisedale Tarn or via Boredale/Boardale Hause from Grasmere), spend the night, and climb out the next day towards Haweswater over the Kidsty Pike side. That steady flow of long-distance walkers gives this small village a friendly, boots-and-rucksacks character, and its inns and B&Bs are well used to one-night, early-breakfast, drying-room guests. If you are walking the C2C, Patterdale is a natural and welcome halt; if you are not, it is a good place to feel the romance of the route.

Ullswater, Brothers Water & Hartsop

Patterdale sits where Ullswater ends and the high valley begins, so water and mountains are tightly packed here.

• Ullswater — the lake begins at the head of the valley by Patterdale and Glenridding. The historic Ullswater 'Steamers' run from Glenridding pier (a mile away) down to Howtown and Pooley Bridge — the classic outing being to sail one way and walk back along the shore.
• The Ullswater Way — the 20-mile waymarked circuit of the lake passes through; most visitors walk a scenic section (the Patterdale–Side Farm–Silver Bay shore towards Howtown is a lovely stretch) and use the steamer or the 508 bus to complete the loop.
• Brothers Water — the small, atmospheric tarn-like lake just up the valley towards Kirkstone, ringed by fells and reed beds; a gentle, beautiful low-level walk from the village.
• Hartsop — the old hamlet of spinning-gallery farmhouses tucked under the High Street fells, an unspoilt corner of the eastern Lakes, with Hayeswater (the tarn above it) and the Hartsop horseshoe rising behind.

Things to do, how to spend a day & rainy days

• A day: a fell day on St Sunday Crag or Helvellyn, finishing with a pub meal — or, easier, the shore walk to Side Farm and back with the steamer from Glenridding.
• A weekend: one big fell day (Helvellyn or St Sunday Crag), one lake/low day (the steamer + Ullswater shore, or Brothers Water and Hartsop), and an evening in the pub.
• A rainy day / with kids: the Ullswater Steamers from Glenridding run whatever the weather; Aira Force (the NT waterfall up the lake) is spectacular in spate; the gentle stroll around Brothers Water or along the shore suits little legs; and Penrith (shops, castle, museum) is half an hour away for a proper wet-weather bolthole.

Where to stay

Patterdale is tiny, so book ahead in season. The mainstays:

• The Patterdale Hotel — the large, traditional hotel in the centre of the village, a long-standing walkers' and Coast-to-Coast base with bars and a restaurant. On the much-asked "who owns the Patterdale Hotel?": it was bought in 2026 by Lake District Hotels, the family-run Cumbrian group that also runs the Inn on the Lake on Ullswater, the Lodore Falls and several other local hotels.
• The White Lion — the village inn, a proper walkers' pub with rooms (see Food & drink).
• Old Water View — a well-regarded small guest house, long popular with Coast to Coast walkers and fell-goers.
• Patterdale Hall — a large house and estate at the edge of the village, used as an outdoor-education and activity centre (group and school stays) rather than a conventional hotel.
• YHA Helvellyn — the nearest youth hostel, at Greenside above Glenridding. The old YHA Patterdale is now a school outdoor centre and takes no bookings (see the YHA section above).
• Camping — Side Farm campsite, on the Ullswater shore just out of the village, is the classic walkers' and C2C site; book ahead in summer.

Food & drink

For its size Patterdale is well served, but it is a very small village — for a proper supermarket shop you'll want Glenridding's village shop, Pooley Bridge or Penrith.

• The White Lion — the village pub, doing walkers' food and a pint by the fire; the natural evening spot in Patterdale itself.
• The Patterdale Hotel bar and restaurant — meals and drinks in the centre of the village.
• The village store & café — for essentials, coffee, cake and stocking up before the fells.

Weather & when to visit

Patterdale has a classic, honest Lakeland climate — mild, green and frequently wet, with the valley funnelling weather straight off Helvellyn and St Sunday Crag. Late spring and early autumn (May–June, September) give a good balance of long days and settled spells; high summer is busiest and parking fills earliest; winter on the high fells means full winter conditions on Helvellyn and the edges — for experienced, equipped walkers only, while the valley walks (Brothers Water, the Ullswater shore) stay rewarding year-round. Whatever the season, check the live "Best fells today" conditions and the mountain forecast before heading up.

Getting there & parking

Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Windermere (18 km away) and Penrith (North Lakes) (18 km away); the 508 and 509 stop at Patterdale Hotel (opposite), 0.1 km from here in a straight line. The bus map has every stop we hold.

There is no railway station in Patterdale. The nearest is Penrith (~15 miles, on the West Coast Main Line), from where the 508 bus runs the length of Ullswater through Pooley Bridge, Aira Force and Glenridding to Patterdale — and on over Kirkstone Pass to Windermere when the pass is open (the seasonal open-top service is a fine ride in itself). By car, Patterdale is on the A592: about 35 minutes from the M6 at Penrith down the side of Ullswater, or over the dramatic Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside and Windermere.

Parking is limited — on fine days the spaces near the popular fell starts go early. Many walkers use the larger Beckside car park in neighbouring Glenridding (a mile away) and walk or bus in. Arrive early, especially for a Helvellyn or St Sunday Crag day.

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Patterdale

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Practical info

• Dogs: very welcome — the fells, the lake shore and most pubs.
• Toilets: public toilets are limited in the village; the main staffed facilities are at Glenridding's Beckside car park a mile away.
• Cash & cards: card is accepted widely, but cash machines are scarce in such a small village — draw cash in Glenridding, Pooley Bridge or Penrith.
• EV charging: very limited in the village — check your charging app before relying on it; Glenridding and Penrith have more.
• Mountain Rescue & safety: the valley is covered by Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team; mobile signal is patchy in the valley and largely absent on the high fells, so carry a map and compass and don't rely on your phone for navigation on Helvellyn. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Day trips & nearby

• Glenridding — Patterdale's neighbour a mile up the road, the Ullswater steamer pier and the main car park; the two villages are best thought of as a pair.
• Aira Force & Gowbarrow — the National Trust waterfall and the little fell above it, a short, rewarding outing up the lake.
• Pooley Bridge — the village at the far, northern end of Ullswater; reachable by steamer, the 508 bus or the Ullswater Way.
• Ullswater by steamer — from Glenridding pier, a fine "day trip".
• Penrith — the nearest market town (~15 miles): shops, the castle, services and the railway.
• Over Kirkstone to Ambleside — when the pass is open, the spectacular road south drops you into the central Lakes.