Ullswater

lake in the English Lake District

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District. It is about nine miles (14.5 kilometres) long and 0.75 miles (1,200 m), wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than 60 metres (197 ft).

Ullswater
Ullswater from Pooley Bridge, 1989
LocationLake District, England
Coordinates54°34′39″N 2°52′30″W / 54.5775°N 2.8751°W / 54.5775; -2.8751
Typeribbon lake
Basin countriesUnited Kingdom
Max. length11.8 km (7.3 mi)
Max. width1.02 km (0.63 mi)
Surface area8.9 km2 (3.4 sq mi)
Average depth25.3 m (83 ft)
Max. depth63 m (207 ft)
Water volume223 x 106
Residence time350 days
Surface elevation145 m (476 ft)
SettlementsGlenridding, Pooley Bridge
Lake steamer at Howtown Pier, Ullswater, circa 1895

Many regard Ullswater as the most beautiful of the English lakes,[1] it has been compared to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

It is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor. When the glacier retreated, the deepened section became a lake.Three separate glaciers formed the lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of a stretched 'Z' with three distinct segments (or 'reaches') that wend their way through the surrounding hills.

For much of its length Ullswater forms the border between the ancient counties of Cumberland and Westmorland.

The village of Glenridding, at the southern end of the lake, is popular with tourists of all kinds. For mountain walkers, England's third highest mountain, Helvellyn and other challenging peaks are near the lake. The village has ample accommodation including two Youth Hostels and camp sites. The village of Pooley Bridge is at the northern end of the lake. Its narrow 16th-century bridge straddles the River Eamont as it flows out of Ullswater; it is overlooked by Dunmallard Hill, which was the site of an Iron Age fort. On the western side of the lake is Aira force waterfall. Near there the Brackenrigg Inn overlooks sweeping views of the dramatic landscape.

References

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  1. www.ullswater.visitor-centre.co.uk. Archived 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine Calls Ullswater "England's most beautiful lake and so much more".