Ullswater

Where is Ullswater?

Ullswater near Penrith, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore — or see all the Lake District lakes & waters on one map.

Lake or "water"? (why it's never "Lake Ullswater")

A lot of people search "why is Ullswater not a lake?" — and the answer is that it absolutely is a lake; the confusion is just the name. "Water" is the old Cumbrian word for a lake (as in Derwentwater, Coniston Water, Wast Water), so the lake is simply Ullswater — you'd never say "Lake Ullswater", and saying "Ullswater lake" is a little like saying it twice.

It's the exact inverse of the Windermere muddle (where the name already contains mere). The Lakes use three old words more or less interchangeably — mere, water and tarn (a small mountain lake) — see our glossary. And to clear up the other common questions: Ullswater is a natural glacial lake, not a reservoir and not man-made. There's also no town on the lake itself — just the villages around its shore, with Penrith the nearest town.

The facts — size, depth, the name & the daffodils

Ullswater fills a long glacial trough in three reaches, giving it its distinctive curving, Z-shaped outline as you look along it from Pooley Bridge to Patterdale. It's about seven and a half miles (12 km) long and up to roughly 63 m (207 ft) deep — the second-largest lake in the District after Windermere, and among the deepest, though Wast Water (about 79 m) is the deepest of all. So "is Ullswater the biggest or deepest?" — no; second-largest, and one of the deepest.

The name most likely means "Ulf's water" — from an Old Norse personal name, Ulfr — though some link it to the Norse god Ullr; it's genuinely debated. And it's here that English literature's most famous flowers grew: in April 1802, walking the western shore at Glencoyne Bay, William and Dorothy Wordsworth saw the host of wild daffodils that inspired "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud".

The 'Steamers'

The Ullswater 'Steamers' are the lake's most loved feature — historic passenger boats that have plied the water since Victorian times. The oldest, the Lady of the Lake, was launched in 1877 and is among the oldest working passenger vessels in the world. They run a hop-on, hop-off service for most of the year between Glenridding (head), Howtown (the remote eastern shore) and Pooley Bridge (foot), with a pier near Aira Force too.

They're a joy in their own right, but the classic use is as a walker's shuttle — sail to a pier, walk back along the shore, or vice versa. Fares and timetables vary by season, so check the official Ullswater Steamers site rather than relying on a fixed price.

The Ullswater Way & walking round the lake

The Ullswater Way is a 20-mile circular walking route right around the lake, opened in 2016 (partly as a recovery project after the 2015 Storm Desmond floods). It links Pooley Bridge, Aira Force, Glenridding, Patterdale and Howtown, and it's signposted throughout.

The brilliant thing is the walk-one-way, sail-back combination: with Steamer piers at Glenridding, Howtown, Pooley Bridge and Aira Force, you can walk a section and let the boat carry you home — turning the full circuit into bite-sized days. As for "can you walk it in a day?" — yes, as a long, full day (it's about 20 miles and, while mostly low-level, it's undulating, not flat); most people split it into two or three easier stages using the Steamer.

Walks & fells around Ullswater

The walking here is some of the best in the Lakes, from gentle shore strolls to England's most exciting ridge:

• Helvellyn via Striding Edge — the classic, exposed scramble from Glenridding over Striding Edge and back by Swirral Edge. A serious mountain day.
• St Sunday Crag — the superb ridge above Patterdale with arguably the finest view of Ullswater.
• Hallin Fell — a short, steep little climb from Howtown (our easy route) for a huge reward; a perfect Steamer-and-walk outing.
• Aira Force & Gowbarrow — the National Trust's dramatic waterfall and the open fell above it, an easy-walks favourite right by the lake.
• Place Fell (guide) across the water from Glenridding, and the short stroll up to Lanty's Tarn & Keldas (one of our easy & family walks) for a classic view down the lake.

Check the live "Best Fells today" conditions before the high fells — especially Helvellyn. The Fells & walks nearby box below lists the closest summits with a full guide.

Fells & walks near Ullswater

• Hallin Fell 388 m · 0.8 km
• Bonscale Pike 524 m · 1.9 km
• Arthur's Pike 533 m · 2.5 km
• Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts) 432 m · 2.5 km
• Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit) 481 m · 3.0 km
• Loadpot Hill 672 m · 3.3 km

Straight-line distances from the centre of Ullswater — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.

All walks by Ullswater → — every route and fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.

Boats, swimming & fishing

• Your own boat — you can launch your own craft, powered or not, but powered boats must obey the lake's 10 mph speed limit (in place since the 1970s–80s, which keeps Ullswater calmer than the pre-limit days). Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and sailing dinghies need no licence; costs are really just parking and any private slipway fee.
• Swimming — wild swimming is popular, with the usual cautions: cold water year-round, boat traffic (keep near the shore, clear of the Steamer lanes), and your own judgement on conditions.
• Fishing — you need an Environment Agency rod licence (and usually a local permit), so it isn't free. Alongside pike, perch, trout and eels, Ullswater holds the rare schelly, a glacial-relict whitefish found in only a handful of lakes.
• Wild camping is not permitted on the shores (busy and largely private) — it's tolerated only high on the open fells. Use a campsite.

Donald Campbell & Bluebird

Ullswater has a vivid place in speed history. On 23 July 1955, Donald Campbell set the world water speed record here — 202.32 mph in his jet-hydroplane Bluebird K7 — the first of seven records he would go on to set. (His final, fatal attempt came years later on Coniston Water, but it was Ullswater where the Bluebird story began.)

Getting there & parking

There's no town on the lake and no railway station beside it. The nearest town and station are both Penrith (about six miles from Pooley Bridge, just off the M6 at Junction 40); from there the 508 Ullswater bus runs down to Pooley Bridge and Glenridding, and the Steamer links the shore. It's a very doable car-free destination.

⚠️ A real parking warning. Ullswater's lakeshore lay-bys fill fast and are heavily enforced — and there's a costly trap: parking on a grass verge next to double yellow lines is still illegal. Yellow-line waiting restrictions apply to the **whole width of the public highway — the carriageway, the pavement and the verge, right out to the boundary — so you can be ticketed for parking on the verge alongside double yellows even if no wheel is touching the markings. We've watched around a hundred cars ticketed in a single day on the verges here. Don't risk it: use the official car parks (Glenridding, Patterdale, the National Trust car park at Aira Force, Pooley Bridge, Howtown, Park Foot), or leave the car altogether and use the 508 bus and the Steamer** on busy days. (Local signage always governs — read the signs where you park.)

Where to stay & practical

It depends what you want from the lake:

• Glenridding & Patterdale (the head) — the walkers' bases, best for Helvellyn, St Sunday Crag and the Steamer pier.
• Pooley Bridge & Watermillock (the foot) — livelier in parts but generally quieter, with the big camping sites and the easiest run from Penrith.
• Howtown — remote and peaceful on the eastern shore, reached by a tiny road or, better, the Steamer.

The area is CA11 (Penrith postcode); it's dog-friendly walking country. A note on history: Storm Desmond (2015) hit hard here — the old Pooley Bridge was washed away and replaced by the striking new bridge in 2020 — so the valley does flood in extreme weather. Easy day trips take in Glenridding, Patterdale, Pooley Bridge, Aira Force, and over the fells to Keswick — or south-east to the remote reservoir of Haweswater.

Events & festivals

Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Ullswater — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.