Patterdale: Hiking, Landscape and Church History

Patterdale combines impressive hiking experiences with a rich local history. The village is only a short distance from the shore of Ullswater, providing a landscape connection that is particularly evident when hiking and exploring Glenamara Park. At the same time, St. Patrick's Church and local traditions are well worth a closer look. When searching for a holiday apartment in Patterdale, the main question is therefore whether you would like to focus on an extended hike, details of the natural environment or cultural discoveries.

Hiking with different daily goals

The Patterdale Boundary Walk is approximately 27 miles long and involves around 10,300 feet of ascent. Since its establishment, it has become a tradition. This scale is an important reference point for your travel planning: the route represents a stay clearly focused on hiking and should be considered a project in its own right. When choosing accommodation, you can therefore first consider how much space this circular route should occupy in your itinerary.

The Patterdale and Glenamara Park trail offers a different perspective. It is a circular route with views of Ullswater and the surrounding fells. Its route passes through Glenamara Park and over Hag Beck, which runs through the middle of the park. The park also contains a hollow alder tree directly behind the gate at step 4. Between steps 5 and 6 stands the Ullswater silver birch. In May or June, bluebells bloom along the route. Such specific details give a hike recognisable landmarks, without requiring you to plan the day solely according to the length of the route.

Glenamara Park and the landscape around Ullswater

Glenamara Park is a former deer park surrounded by a very high dry-stone wall. Together with Hag Beck, the two notable trees and the seasonal flowers, it creates a varied picture of the route. Families travelling together can take different interests into account here: while some travellers seek views of Ullswater and the fells, others pay attention to the small details along the way.

The location on Ullswater also shapes orientation in the area. The Patterdale Hotel is on the A592, which runs alongside Ullswater. From Glenridding, a path leads there along the road in ten minutes. This reference point can help with mentally placing the landscape, without implying anything about holiday apartments or their facilities.

Church history and local tradition

St. Patrick's Church offers another way of exploring Patterdale. The present church was built in 1853 and replaced a building dating from 1600. That building had itself replaced a church built in the 14th century. The present St. Patrick's Church was designed by the architect Anthony Salvin. This sequence makes the area's long ecclesiastical history visible without conflating the different construction periods.

The church also contains the picture embroidered by Ann Macbeth, The Good Shepherd. In the background, it depicts the fells, the village, sheep and wildflowers of Patterdale. A local tradition connects the name Patterdale with Saint Patrick, who is said to have converted many people in the valley to Christianity in the early 5th century. Those wishing to combine nature and culture can plan this story and the picture as separate thematic highlights alongside the hiking routes.

The right accommodation for your travel plans

When choosing a holiday apartment in Patterdale, you can be guided by your preferred mix of hiking, landscape and culture. Consider therefore whether you would like to choose your accommodation primarily according to the planned amount of hiking or according to a balanced mix of landscape and culture.

If you would like to compare other destinations, you can find additional places here for orientation: Millom, Kirkby Stephen, Nether Wasdale, Brampton, Penruddock, Gamblesby, Brough and Grasmere.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cumbria.