Grasmere to Patterdale

History

This stage is steeped in Wordsworth country. The poet lived at Dove Cottage in nearby Grasmere from 1799 to 1808, and the village remains closely associated with him. The stage's most poignant landmark is the Brothers' Parting Stone above Grisedale Tarn. In late September 1800 (the parting is recorded as 29 September) William and Dorothy Wordsworth walked their brother John to the tarn, where he turned down the path to Patterdale to return to his ship; it was their last meeting. John, a captain with the East India Company, drowned when the East Indiaman 'Earl of Abergavenny' struck the Shambles sandbank off Portland Bill and sank in Weymouth Bay on 5 February 1805, with the loss of more than 260 lives. Grieving, William composed his 'Elegiac Verses in Memory of My Brother, John Wordsworth' near the parting place in June 1805. In 1882, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley — later one of the three co-founders of the National Trust (1895) — had verses from the elegy carved into a boulder near the parting point; the inscription is now badly weathered and barely legible. Legend also holds that the crown of Dunmail, said to be the last Brittonic king of Cumbria, was carried up and cast into Grisedale Tarn by his warriors after his defeat in the battle at Dunmail Raise around 945 — a tale that is folklore rather than documented history.

Nature & Wildlife

The descent into Grisedale and the approach to Patterdale enter one of the Lake District's richest upland-edge wildlife areas. Ullswater is among the best places in England to see the red squirrel, and the ancient and veteran trees of Glenamara Park at the valley foot — a former deer park of oak and alder — shelter spring migrants. The oak woods around Ullswater draw pied flycatchers and redstarts in spring, and you may see woodpeckers and the usual tits and finches lower down. The red deer herd centred on Martindale, just across Ullswater, is one of the oldest in England and is most active at dawn, dusk and during the autumn rut. High on the open fell, listen for the ring ouzel (the 'mountain blackbird'), which has bred in the Helvellyn area, and watch ravens and buzzards over the crags. Ospreys are occasionally seen passing over Ullswater, though they do not breed here.

Geology

The fells crossed here belong to the Borrowdale Volcanic Group — very hard lavas and volcanic ashes erupted on the margin of an ancient continent during the Ordovician period, roughly 450 million years ago. These resistant rocks form the highest and craggiest of the Lakeland mountains, including Helvellyn and St Sunday Crag flanking the route. The landscape's drama is the work of Ice Age glaciers: Grisedale Tarn fills a glacial hollow at the watershed between Grasmere and Ullswater, and the great U-shaped Grisedale valley was gouged by ice flowing toward Ullswater. On the Helvellyn high alternative, walkers pass Red Tarn (a corrie lake at about 718 m) cupped beneath the knife-edge of Striding Edge — a textbook glacial cirque. Many of the best-preserved glacial landforms in the eastern fells date from the Younger Dryas (Loch Lomond Stadial) cold snap, when ice briefly returned to upland Britain between roughly 12,900 and 11,700 years ago.

Scenic Highlights

This is short but scenically front-loaded. The climb gives ever-widening views back over Grasmere vale; Grisedale Tarn is a jewel of a mountain lake ringed by Dollywaggon Pike, Fairfield and Seat Sandal. The standard descent of Grisedale opens a long, framed view down the valley to Ullswater and the Helvellyn range — Patterdale's signature panorama. For the energetic, the St Sunday Crag alternative delivers what many rate the best single view on the entire Coast to Coast: the full sweep of Ullswater laid out below. The Helvellyn line adds the vertiginous spectacle of Striding Edge and Red Tarn.

Photography

Shoot Grisedale Tarn early, when the surrounding fells reflect in still water before the wind picks up. The descent of Grisedale offers a classic 'leading-line' composition down the valley to Ullswater — best in late-afternoon light from the upper valley. The Brothers' Parting Stone is a quiet, atmospheric subject (the carved verse repays a close, raking-light frame). St Sunday Crag's summit and the rim above Striding Edge give the day's grandest wide-angle Ullswater panoramas. Glenamara Park's ancient oaks are lovely in autumn colour.

When to Visit

Best walked May–September for the longest daylight and most settled conditions; the standard valley route is feasible April–October. Grisedale Hause and the upper valley hold cloud, wind and late snow into spring — the high pass is fully exposed. The high alternatives (St Sunday Crag, and especially Helvellyn via Striding Edge) should only be attempted in good, dry, low-wind conditions and are best left until summer; in winter they become serious mountaineering with ice. Autumn brings the red-deer rut across Ullswater and fine colour in the valley oaks, but check daylight: by October sunset is mid-evening and falling fast, so start early given the climbing involved.

Getting There

Patterdale is reached by the seasonal Ullswater bus: Stagecoach 508 (Penrith–Patterdale, continuing over Kirkstone Pass to Windermere on some journeys) and the 509 (Keswick/Penrith via Aira Force, Glenridding and Patterdale), giving rail connections at Penrith on the West Coast Main Line. Grasmere, at the stage start, is served by the year-round Stagecoach 555 (Keswick–Grasmere–Windermere–Kendal–Lancaster), linking to rail at Windermere, Kendal and Lancaster. There is no parking at the high pass; use car parks in Grasmere or Patterdale/Glenridding. Bail-out options are limited on this fell crossing: the most practical escape is to descend the way you came to Grasmere, or — once over the pass — to continue down Grisedale to Patterdale, from where the Ullswater buses run; a road bail-out via the A592 over Kirkstone Pass is only accessible from Patterdale/Glenridding, not from the high ground itself.

Stay & Eat Nearby

Patterdale sits directly on the route and has a useful but limited cluster of walker accommodation, plus more a mile north in Glenridding. Options include the White Lion (a traditional walkers' pub with rooms and bar meals on the route), Old Water View B&B, the 16th-century Noran Bank farmhouse B&B on the A592, and Side Farm campsite at the southern tip of Ullswater. Note YHA Patterdale closed in April 2024 (the building has since been taken on as an outdoor activity centre). Patterdale and Glenridding together add more B&Bs and hotels. Beds are tight in peak season (May–September) and on this short, popular stage — book well ahead, and consider that most walkers use a baggage-transfer service (e.g. Sherpa Van, Brigantes, Packhorse) so you can walk the fells with a daypack.

Water & Facilities

Water availability is generally good on this stage. Tongue Gill and Grisedale Beck flow alongside much of the route, and Grisedale Tarn provides an obvious refill point near the high point — treat or filter all hill water. There are no taps or cafes between Grasmere and Patterdale, so fill up in Grasmere (which has shops, cafes and pubs) before climbing, and plan for none on the open fell. On the high alternatives expect long dry stretches along the ridges.

Safety

Although one of the shorter Lakeland days, this is a genuine mountain crossing. The standard route tops Grisedale Hause (~588 m), fully exposed to wind, rain and rapidly changing cloud; carry full waterproofs, warm layers, map and compass (OS Explorer OL5 and OL7), and the skills to use them, as mist makes the pass and tarn area disorienting. Boggy ground around Hause Moss is common, and the steep upper descent into Grisedale needs care. The high alternatives are far more serious: Striding Edge on Helvellyn is a Grade 1 scramble with sustained, severe exposure and steep drops to Red Tarn — there are deaths most years (three fatalities on Helvellyn in 2024 alone), and it should be avoided in high wind, wet rock, poor visibility or winter conditions. St Sunday Crag is less technical but still high and exposed. Mobile signal is patchy to absent on the fell. In an emergency dial 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue; for non-urgent health advice call NHS 111.

Accessibility

This is a mountain stage with no step-free or wheelchair-accessible sections; the standard route crosses a rough, rocky, sometimes boggy fell pass at ~588 m and demands sure-footedness and basic navigation. It is not suitable for buggies or those with limited mobility. Patterdale and Glenridding at the end, and Grasmere at the start, offer accessible facilities, cafes and bus links, and the Ullswater shoreline near Patterdale has gentler paths for non-walking companions.