Walk Description

With a reasonable forecast for the Saturday, Steve and I set out from Barrow and drove through a crowded Bowness and then via the Kirkstone Pass to the relatively quiet Glenridding.  We parked in the almost empty Ullswater ‘Steamers’ car park and instead of rushing to get on the ferry that was departing about 5 minutes after we arrived, we decided to take some time and wander around so that we could take some photos of Ullswater, the steamers and the wild flowers growing near the car park. As there was about 30 minutes before the next ferry, Steve decided to have a cup of their delicious hot coffee; unfortunately it was so hot that he didn’t have enough time to drink it.  We travelled up the lake on the Lady Wakefield and enjoyed the views back towards Glenridding.  We were not the only ones out enjoying Ullswater.  There were a number of ‘Outward Bound’ groups leaping into the water from some of the small islands and plenty of people messing about in various water crafts.  We even saw a couple of extremely hardy people swimming along the lake.  They looked as though they were involved in some sort of serious training.  
We disembarked at Howtown and walked along the steep, zigzagging road to Martindale.  Although I ended up puffing and panting I was heartened by the fact that I coped with the road walking far better than my last visit in 2007 when I could barely put one foot in front of the other.  When I got to Martindale Hause I was even tempted to go up Hallin Fell.  However I knew that I had a big enough challenge ahead with out doing an extra fell.   As the church was open we decided to look around the church and enjoyed a few moments in its quiet solitude.  The ‘new’ church of St Peter’s was built in 1880 in the early English style of architecture, and has a nave and chancel, with vestry, bell turret, and south western porch.  Apart from the East window, all the stained glass dates from 1975, and was made by Jane Gray, A.R.C.A. The windows are modern and very striking - they have been designed to appeal to those who will no longer look at bearded saints or traditional angels.

We then walked down the road to the Old Martindale church.  The old Church of St Martin, Martindale, has existed since at least 1220. It is probable that the present building was erected at the end of the 16th Century. There have been successive restorations to the present building, the last major restoration being in 1882 when the roof was replaced. Violent storms destroyed the roof on the day that the new Church of St Peter was consecrated. The old yew tree in the Church yard is thought to be about 1300 years old.  This is a very simple, plain and spartan building, very different from the slightly more modern ‘new’ church with its elaborate stained glass windows.  Once again there was an overwhelming sense of peace within the church.

We crossed Howegrain Beck via Christy Bridge and took the surprisingly well graded path up the hillside towards Winter Crag.  It wasn’t long before we reached the top of the path and found the footpath up to Howstead Brow.  This was an interesting path and marked the start of the rollercoaster path towards Beda Head and Beda Fell.  Every time I looked up from the path I could see a slight rise in front of me.  I kept thinking - ah there’s the top.  Unfortunately as I reached that ‘top’ I could then see another ‘top’ just a little farther on and higher up.  The higher we climbed the more extensive the views became, both looking back along to Hallin Fell and Ullswater itself and also looking forward towards The Nab and Rest Dodd.  Despite spending a while scanning The Nab’s fellside trying to see the deer, we didn’t manage to see any today.  It wasn’t long before we reached Beda Head and its small cairn.  Steve went over to investigate the small carefully build shelter whilst I had a little rest. 
We made our way over the small rocky outcrops of Bedafell Knott and then down to the col where the bridleway from Martindale came up the fellside and over towards Place Fell.  It was now decision time - should we take the bridleway to Boredale Hause or visit the enticing peaks of Angletarn Pikes?  The weather was pleasant and made for wandering the fells, so I decided to carry on to Angletarn Pikes, which seemed so close, so that I could see Angle Tarn again.  I had only been there once before.  We took the small path around Heckbeck Head and Heck Cove and then instead of going down to Angle Tarn we made our own way across the pathless slopes of the Pikes to the lower of the two Pikes.  After a quick look round on the breezy top we decided to head across the edge of the bog to the higher Pike, where we took a few photos and then quickly went straight down the fellside and joined the bridleway from Angle Tarn to Boredale Hause. 
As soon as we were out of the wind I looked out for a suitable stone/seat and had a quick bite to eat.  From now on we were heading down.  The path was extremely easy to follow and in places gave us superb views up Patterdale to Brothers Water.  We continued down to Side Farm and decided that if we stopped for a drink and cake at the tea room we might not feel like getting back onto our feet and walking back to Glenridding. We then followed the road back to Glenridding, although there a few raspberries left on the roadside bushes, I decided to give them a miss as they had definitely passed their best.  We had a quick stop at the car park, to get rid of the rucksacks and my footwear.  It was a relief to remove my boots and put my trainers on.  Then, instead of walking, we lazily drove to the main Glenridding car park and visited the shop so that Steve could buy his après walk pastie and drink and my flapjack.  We sat for a while at one of the picnic tables and enjoyed the early evening sun, before driving back to Barrow for the night.
This had been a thoroughly enjoyable walk covering ground that I hadn’t visited before.  Although we walked on a glorious Saturday in the height of summer, we met very few people and most of the time we had the fells to ourselves.

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

 

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.