THE FOOTNOTES
Every print from Marking The Wild comes with its own trail story, this is yours.
Here you’ll find sketches, route details, reflections from the walk, and a few extra notes I couldn’t quite fit on paper.
Think of it as a companion to the artwork; a small way to step into the moment with me, and maybe take the journey for yourself.
Ullswater: A Walk in Four Acts
Act I — The Climb of Sisyphus
Some walks make you feel adventurous before anything interesting has even happened. The ascent of Place Fell is one of them. From the very first pull upward, the path gets straight to the point. It’s the kind of incline that turns conversation into the occasional grunt and the world narrows to breath and boots. It felt relentless and almost unnecessary, but the reward is worth it.
Act II — A Panoramic Pleasure
Arriving on the top peaks feels like walking into a film. Up here, the world feels both larger and neater: the water laid out like a storyboard sketch, the ridges and rolling scenery are clean and confident. You get the sense that everything has space to breathe. The climb that felt huge a moment ago now feels small in comparison to the scale laid out at your feet.
Act III — The Lure of the Lake
Heading down, the landscape softens. What was rugged becomes familiar again. Greens return, the path widens, and your legs loosen into something gentler. By the time you drop to the lakeside path, the fell feels like it has done its work and handed you back to the world.
Act IV — You’ve Earnt This
Reaching Ullswater again feels almost like stepping into a postcard. The water glimmers with that signature lake-light, and the atmosphere is suddenly soft, relaxed, almost summer-holiday in tone. It’s a completely different kind of beauty than the summit. The adventure fades not with a cliff-hanger, but with calm. The kind of calm that only arrives after you’ve earned it.
Waypoints Through The Wild
Start: Begin in Patterdale Hotel Car Park and turn left down the road, past the White Lion Inn and take a small track across Goldrill Beck. Follow this path as it twists and turns through Rooking before making a right to begin the steady, long climb.
You’ll soon begin to make a long left turn as you climb higher up the path where you’re sure to meet a few walking groups like we did ( doing their Duke of Edinburgh award).
You’ll eventually reach Place Fell Trig Point (when we arrived it had a large wooden branch, clearly carved and placed on top in the shape of a large horn - although that may not be there now).
After a relaxing break (if you can battle the wind) make your way onwards for a quick detour up High Dodd (a shorter but equally interesting summit), before returning back the way you came and starting the descent toward the lake.
Whilst mostly a steady decline, there are a few moments where it’s a little steep. You’ll eventually get closer to Scalehow-Beck, and cross the river for a direct path the Ullswater Way.
Finish: Follow the well trodden track, though undulating with roots and rocks to keep you eye out for. You’ll see stunning views of Sheffield Pike and Helvellyn in the distance. This will take you back with a leisurely stroll through Side Farm and into Patterdale.
Sense The Scene
See: Ullswater unfolding like a long, silver ribbon, ridges and rolling mountains rising and falling in soft layers, a variety of lakes across the horizon.
Hear: your own panting breath on the climb, open quiet on the summit, the soft hush of lakeside movement on the return.
Smell: warm bracken on the slopes, fresh fell air, cool lake water collecting at the shoreline.
Feel: smooth cairn stones at the summit, bracken and ferns at your ankles.
Taste: mineral-rich fell air, a hint of lake spray, the famous Ullswater sticky toffee pudding in a lakeside cafe.
Practical Parts
Parking: We parked in Patterdale Hotel Overflow parking (all day for £5 at time writing).
Facilities: Toilets, cafés, pubs, and some small shops in the nearby villages. No facilities on the main route.
Hazards: Steep ascent and descent — footing can be loose, exposed summit in high winds, heat and UV reflection around the lakeside on bright days.
Have you been here? What's Your Story
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