Pooley Bridge

Why is Pooley Bridge famous? Is it worth visiting?

Yes — Pooley Bridge is well worth a visit, especially if you want easy access, the lake and a family-friendly base rather than a remote mountain village. It is famous on several counts.

First, Ullswater itself begins here, and the steamers run from the village pier down to Howtown and Glenridding. Second, the bridge: the loss of the old 18th-century bridge in the 2015 floods, and its striking steel replacement, made national news and is the thing many people now associate with the name (see below). Third, camping — this is a big camping and caravanning corner of the Lakes, with several large, lakeside-ish holiday parks. And fourth, it is the gateway to the quiet eastern fells — the Howtown and Martindale country that sees a fraction of the crowds of the central Lakes.

Add Dalemain (the historic house, gardens and famous Marmalade Festival) a mile up the road, good dog-friendly pubs, and the easy run to Penrith and the M6, and Pooley Bridge punches well above its size. Check the live "Best fells today" conditions before heading for the tops.

What happened to Pooley Bridge? The bridge

The question many people ask — and the village's big recent story. The original three-arch stone bridge of 1764 carried the road over the River Eamont for two and a half centuries until, on 6 December 2015, Storm Desmond brought record rainfall to the Ullswater fells; the swollen Eamont scoured away the riverbed around the bridge's piers and the historic bridge collapsed and was washed away.

For several years the village made do with a temporary footbridge and a long road diversion. Its replacement, opened to traffic in October 2020 (and lifted into place earlier that year), is a single graceful span — the first stainless-steel road bridge in the UK — designed to clear the river in one arch so scour can't undermine it again, while echoing the curve of the old stone bridge it replaced. It has quickly become a landmark in its own right.

Ullswater, the steamers & the Ullswater Way

Pooley Bridge sits at the foot of Ullswater, and the lake is the centre of everything here.

• The Ullswater 'Steamers' — the historic launches call at the Pooley Bridge pier, running down the lake to Howtown and on to Glenridding at the head. The classic, much-loved outing is to sail one way and walk back along the shore.
• The Ullswater Way — Pooley Bridge is the northern end of the 20-mile waymarked circuit of the whole lake (Pooley Bridge, Howtown, Glenridding, Aira Force and back). Most visitors walk a scenic section and use the steamer or bus to complete the loop rather than doing all 20 miles.
• "Can you walk from Pooley Bridge to Howtown?" — yes: the eastern-shore path is a beautiful stretch of the Ullswater Way. The popular way to do it is to take the steamer to Howtown and walk the shore back to Pooley Bridge (about 6–7 miles) — and see the first-hand note in Getting there & around on why the steamer beats driving that way.
• There is swimming, paddleboarding and boat hire on the lake, and a pleasant green and playground by the water for families.

Walks & fells from Pooley Bridge

The walking here splits neatly into the easy fells right above the village and the quieter, higher Howtown/Martindale fells down the eastern shore. Always check the live conditions first.

Right above the village (easy):

• Heughscar Hill — the obvious low fell behind Pooley Bridge, crossed by the High Street Roman road (cobbles still visible) and the limestone of Heugh Scar; a short walk for a big, gentle view over the foot of Ullswater.
• Dunmallard Hill — the little wooded, conical hill right by the bridge (an Iron Age hillfort site); a quick, shady stroll from the village.

The Howtown & Martindale fells (down the eastern shore):

• Hallin Fell — the celebrated short, steep little fell above Howtown that gives one of the best views-for-effort in the whole Lake District — a family favourite from the steamer pier.
• Steel Knotts, Beda Fell and Place Fell — the shapely fells ringing the quiet valleys of Martindale and Boredale.
• The Martindale / Fusedale round — a fine, lonely horseshoe on the High Street side over Arthur's Pike, Bonscale Pike, Loadpot Hill and Wether Hill, with the old Roman High Street running the ridge.

A first-hand tip: for the Howtown and Martindale fells, take the Ullswater Steamer to Howtown rather than driving — the narrow eastern-shore road gets badly congested, and the steamer-and-walk is genuinely faster and far nicer. More on this in Getting there & around.

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

Cloud on the tops? Good walks in poor weather & low cloud lists the lower-risk routes we would try first: easy to navigate, low in exposure, never 'safe'.

Camping & where to stay

Pooley Bridge is a major camping and caravanning base, with several large holiday parks around the foot of the lake, as well as inns, guest houses and B&Bs.

• Park Foot Holiday Park — the big, well-known park on the Howtown road, with camping, touring pitches, lodges and pods, and its own bar and amenities. On the much-searched "discount code for Park Foot" question: book through the official site for current prices and any genuine offers — and be wary of third-party sites advertising "codes" (we won't invent one).
• Waterside House and Hillcroft Park — two more large, popular camping/caravan/pod sites near the village and the lake shore.
• The Pooley Bridge Inn — the landmark inn in the centre of the village, recently given a £1m refurbishment by Robinsons Brewery: a traditional, dog- and child-friendly bar with open fires and 12 refurbished en-suite rooms (see Food & drink).
• The Crown Inn and The Sun Inn — village pubs with rooms, plus a range of guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering in and around Pooley Bridge.

→ Always book the holiday parks via their official sites for the live price; never use a third-party "discount code."

Things to do, a day, a rainy day & with kids

• Ride the Ullswater Steamers from the pier — the signature Pooley Bridge outing, in any weather.
• Visit Dalemain — the historic house and gardens a mile towards Penrith, home of the famous Marmalade Festival; a great rainy-day or with-kids option.
• Climb Hallin Fell from Howtown (off the steamer) for a huge view with little effort — superb with children.
• The Secret Garden tearoom and the village cafés for coffee and cake; the green and playground by the lake for little ones.
• Swim or paddle in Ullswater from the shore on a warm day.
• A rainy day: the steamers run whatever the weather, Dalemain's house is indoors, and Penrith (shops, castle, museum) is ten minutes away.

Food & drink

For a small village, Pooley Bridge is well served — and for a big supermarket shop, Penrith is only five miles off.

• The Pooley Bridge Inn — the central village inn, given a recent £1m Robinsons Brewery refurbishment: a traditional bar with open fires welcoming dogs and children, and a menu of pub classics, pies and local steaks. The answer to "what makes the Pooley Bridge Inn special?" is essentially that — a smartly restored landmark inn at the heart of the village, moments from the lake.
• Dog-friendly pubs — to the much-asked "best dog-friendly pub": the Crown Inn and the Sun Inn, like the Pooley Bridge Inn, welcome dogs and walkers.
• The Secret Garden café/tearoom for coffee, lunch and cake.
• Shops — to "does Pooley Bridge have shops?": yes, for a small village — a village shop/store and a handful of independents around the green for essentials, gifts and outdoor bits, though a full shop means Penrith.

Weather & when to visit

Pooley Bridge has the classic, honest Lakeland climate — mild, green and frequently wet — though, at the lower, northern foot of the lake, it is a touch gentler than the head of Ullswater. Late spring and early autumn give a good balance of long days and settled spells; high summer is the busy camping season and the car parks and holiday parks fill early; the Howtown and Martindale fells are at their best in clear conditions, while the lakeside and the easy fells above the village are rewarding year-round. Whatever the season, check the live "Best fells today" conditions and the mountain forecast before heading up.

Getting there, parking & getting around

Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Penrith (North Lakes) (7 km away) and Langwathby (14 km away); the 508, 509, UB1 and UB2 stop at Pooley Bridge Inn, 0.0 km from here in a straight line. The UB1 and UB2 run until 1 November 2026, the last day of their season. The bus map has every stop we hold.

There is no railway station in Pooley Bridge. The nearest is Penrith (~5 miles, on the West Coast Main Line and the M6 at Junction 40), which makes Pooley Bridge one of the quickest Ullswater villages to reach. By car it is a short run on the A592 off the A66.

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Pooley Bridge

Arrive early on fine summer days, when the campsites and the lake bring the crowds.

By bus, the 508 (Penrith–Ullswater–Windermere) serves the village.

First-hand local notes — two things worth knowing:

• Don't drive to Howtown and Martindale if you can help it. The narrow eastern-shore road from Pooley Bridge to Howtown gets very congested, especially in season — for those fells (Hallin Fell, the Martindale round), take the Ullswater Steamer to Howtown instead. It is genuinely faster and far nicer than crawling along the lane, and you arrive at the foot of the fells by the pier.
• Check which way the bus is actually going. The Ullswater bus loops into Pooley Bridge and back out the same way, and the service runs through in both directions — towards Penrith one way, and towards Keswick/Glenridding the other. A bus sitting at the Pooley Bridge stop can be on either leg, so check the destination on the front before you board rather than assuming — it is an easy way to end up heading the wrong way.

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

Practical info

• Dogs: very welcome — the lake shore, the fells, the steamers (on a lead) and the village pubs.
• Toilets: public toilets in the village centre, by the bridge.
• Cash & cards: card is accepted widely; cash machines are limited in such a small village, so draw cash in Penrith if you need it.
• EV charging: limited in the village — check your charging app before relying on it; Penrith has more.
• Mountain Rescue & safety: the area is covered by Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team; mobile signal is patchy on the eastern fells, so carry a map and compass. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Day trips & nearby

• Dalemain — the historic house, gardens and Marmalade Festival, a mile towards Penrith.
• Penrith — the nearest market town (~5 miles): shops, the castle, services and the railway.
• Askham & Lowther — the pretty estate village of Askham and the Lowther Castle ruins, gardens and adventure playground, a short drive east.
• Aira Force — the National Trust's dramatic waterfall down the western shore of Ullswater.
• Glenridding & Patterdale — the villages at the head of Ullswater, the base for Helvellyn and St Sunday Crag; reachable by steamer, the 508 or the Ullswater Way.
• Howtown — the quiet hamlet down the eastern shore, the steamer halfway-stop and the start for Hallin Fell and Martindale.
• Haweswater — the wild, quiet reservoir-valley over the fells to the south-east, for a real away-from-it-all day.