Glenridding to Aira Force and return

This is a very nice Sunday outing where our route will start with 30minute journey on a Steamer on Ullswater to the Aira Force pier, where we will wander to visit the most famous of the Lake District waterfalls.  Aira Force provides a glimpse of a landscaped Victorian park with dramatic waterfalls, arboretum and rocks scenery. The main force falls 21metres from below a stone footbridge and is on land owned by the National Trust.

There are a number of stepped sections and level pathways, but we will take a very slow and steady pace.  We will continue along the network of tracks, footpaths and bridges, doing a circular route along the side of the stream, before returning back down to the car park.

Aira Force has a very nice tea-room, with outdoor seating, serving some tasty treats and refreshing cold drinks, where we could have a pit stop before following on with our journey.

From there we will then continue our walk following a section of the Ullswater Way back to Glenridding.  The route follows paths, succession of gates, footbridges, through a mixture of woodland and shrubbery. The path affords views of Ullswater and there are a couple of streams to paddle in, and picnicking on the shore. Where we can have our lunch stop.

Route passes through Glencoyne Park, an area which inspired William Wordsworth to write the poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud”.

A very short section of the path on the lakeside does meander up and down and is uneven in places due to tree roots and boulders, and there is a point where we need to walk along the road for about 20metres, where care will be taken with the oncoming traffic.

Returning to the Glenridding car park, pier and tourist information centre, following the road paths through the town. Here you will find cafés, restaurants, and shops.