Another section from my trip report for June/July 2000. There is not too much uphill climbing on this hike and if my 74 year old Mum can manage it, then anyone can!
ULLSWATER Howtown to Patterdale
This 6 mile hike along a section of Ullswater's shoreline is probably not thought of as a birdwatching walk, but we love it for the scenic beauty of the area and we did log 33 species for the day. As a bonus, we saw our life yellowhammers and a red squirrel, a native species which became quite rare after the introduction of grey squirrels to Britain many years ago.
The best way to do this walk is to drive along Ullswater on the A592 to Glenridding, and park at the Ullswater Steamer Pier, just through the village on the left (remember some coins for the Pay & Display carpark). Take the steamer one way to Howtown, and then walk back along the well marked path to the southern end of the lake, cut across the end of the lake to the village of Patterdale, and follow the road back to Glenridding. Steamer timetables can be picked up in tourist offices or call Ullswater Steamers at 017684 82229.
We caught the 10:15am steamer at Glenridding, which took about 30 minutes to reach Howtown. The weather was cool, breezy with sunny spells. If we had made a really early start we could also have visited Gowbarrow and Aira Force, which are located on the north side of Ullswater, before the junction with the A5091 (to Dockray and Matterdale). Aira Force is a National Trust property, so there is a charge for the carpark - it is a very popular tourist destination, but both are supposed to be quite good places for Pied Flycatchers.
From the steamer we saw the following birds on the lake: great crested grebe, 2 herring gulls, goosander (common merganser), 2 red-breasted mergansers, great cormorant, 2 mute swans and about 20 mallards. After getting off the steamer, we followed the footpath to the right along the lake shore, skirting the base of Hallin Fell to Sandwick. Near Howtown we saw our life yellowhammers - 2 perched very nicely on a barbed wire fence. On a previous trip here, we had only heard the yellowhammers' familiar "little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese" song! In the front gardens of the cottages in Sandwick there were birdfeeders which were attracting greenfinch, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, coal tits and robins, and in the surrounding area we saw wrens, blackbird, song thrush, pied wagtail, barn swallows, willow warbler, meadow pipits, wood pigeons and 6 goldfinches (feeding on thistle heads). The red squirrel was seen here, munching on pine cones in the top of a tall old larch tree.
Along the next section of the route we saw carrion crows, 8 long-tailed tits, 3 goldcrests and heard a Eurasian skylark, singing somewhere high above us. The path follows the base of Place Fell, climbing up and over Silver Point, then dropping down towards the end of the lake, where in the marshy shallows we saw Eurasian coots and a grey heron. There were jackdaws and more swallows and pied wagtails near the farm buildings. At End Farm, we turned right to take the path through the farmyard, towards Patterdale, and were very happy to find a tea-room thoughtfully provided for weary walkers like us! Here we watched a very tame, cheeky robin feeding its youngster with the crumbs left by everyone! We also saw our first house sparrows of the day, nesting in cracks in the walls of the farm buildings. In Patterdale we saw house martins feeding chicks in their mud nests under the eaves of the local houses, and watched a grey wagtail from the bridge over Grisedale Beck.
We then completed the walk, about another mile, back to the Ullswater Steamer carpark in Glenridding, where the facilities have recently been renovated and there is now a snack bar on the pier.
On a previous trip to Ullswater in October of 97, we saw Barnacle and Greylag Geese on the shores of the lake and Tufted Ducks, near Howtown.
33 species for the day.
ULLSWATER Howtown to Patterdale
This 6 mile hike along a section of Ullswater's shoreline is probably not thought of as a birdwatching walk, but we love it for the scenic beauty of the area and we did log 33 species for the day. As a bonus, we saw our life yellowhammers and a red squirrel, a native species which became quite rare after the introduction of grey squirrels to Britain many years ago.
The best way to do this walk is to drive along Ullswater on the A592 to Glenridding, and park at the Ullswater Steamer Pier, just through the village on the left (remember some coins for the Pay & Display carpark). Take the steamer one way to Howtown, and then walk back along the well marked path to the southern end of the lake, cut across the end of the lake to the village of Patterdale, and follow the road back to Glenridding. Steamer timetables can be picked up in tourist offices or call Ullswater Steamers at 017684 82229.
We caught the 10:15am steamer at Glenridding, which took about 30 minutes to reach Howtown. The weather was cool, breezy with sunny spells. If we had made a really early start we could also have visited Gowbarrow and Aira Force, which are located on the north side of Ullswater, before the junction with the A5091 (to Dockray and Matterdale). Aira Force is a National Trust property, so there is a charge for the carpark - it is a very popular tourist destination, but both are supposed to be quite good places for Pied Flycatchers.
From the steamer we saw the following birds on the lake: great crested grebe, 2 herring gulls, goosander (common merganser), 2 red-breasted mergansers, great cormorant, 2 mute swans and about 20 mallards. After getting off the steamer, we followed the footpath to the right along the lake shore, skirting the base of Hallin Fell to Sandwick. Near Howtown we saw our life yellowhammers - 2 perched very nicely on a barbed wire fence. On a previous trip here, we had only heard the yellowhammers' familiar "little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese" song! In the front gardens of the cottages in Sandwick there were birdfeeders which were attracting greenfinch, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, coal tits and robins, and in the surrounding area we saw wrens, blackbird, song thrush, pied wagtail, barn swallows, willow warbler, meadow pipits, wood pigeons and 6 goldfinches (feeding on thistle heads). The red squirrel was seen here, munching on pine cones in the top of a tall old larch tree.
Along the next section of the route we saw carrion crows, 8 long-tailed tits, 3 goldcrests and heard a Eurasian skylark, singing somewhere high above us. The path follows the base of Place Fell, climbing up and over Silver Point, then dropping down towards the end of the lake, where in the marshy shallows we saw Eurasian coots and a grey heron. There were jackdaws and more swallows and pied wagtails near the farm buildings. At End Farm, we turned right to take the path through the farmyard, towards Patterdale, and were very happy to find a tea-room thoughtfully provided for weary walkers like us! Here we watched a very tame, cheeky robin feeding its youngster with the crumbs left by everyone! We also saw our first house sparrows of the day, nesting in cracks in the walls of the farm buildings. In Patterdale we saw house martins feeding chicks in their mud nests under the eaves of the local houses, and watched a grey wagtail from the bridge over Grisedale Beck.
We then completed the walk, about another mile, back to the Ullswater Steamer carpark in Glenridding, where the facilities have recently been renovated and there is now a snack bar on the pier.
On a previous trip to Ullswater in October of 97, we saw Barnacle and Greylag Geese on the shores of the lake and Tufted Ducks, near Howtown.
33 species for the day.
