The northern shore of Ullswater, between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding, is one of the gentlest and most beautiful roads in the Lake District. The A592 runs along the water's edge, under old trees and past grassy shores, with the lake on one side and the wooded slopes of Gowbarrow Fell on the other, and at every bend there is a new view of the water and the fells at its southern end. Ullswater is the second-largest lake in the Lake District, long and winding, often called the most beautiful of them all.
The lake has strong literary connections. In April 1802, William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy walked along this shore and saw a great mass of wild daffodils near the water at Glencoyne Bay. Dorothy described them in her journal, and William turned the memory into the poem known as I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, one of the most famous poems in the English language. In spring the daffodils still bloom along the shore. Nearby is Aira Force, a waterfall in a wooded ravine, with footpaths and bridges, one of the most visited waterfalls in the Lake District.
The Ullswater steamers, traditional boats that have carried passengers on the lake since the nineteenth century, run between Pooley Bridge, Howtown and Glenridding, and a trip on the water is a fine way to rest from the road. At Pooley Bridge, the old stone bridge over the River Eamont was swept away by floods in 2015 and replaced by a new steel bridge.
The road along the lake gets tight in parts, with stone walls and trees close to the edge, and it is busy in summer, with cars, buses and cyclists. Ride gently and enjoy the views. The tarmac is mostly sound. To the south, the road climbs to the Kirkstone Pass and over to Windermere, and to the north it leads to Penrith and the M6.
Pooley Bridge has a few cafes and shops, and Glenridding has more. Penrith, about twelve kilometres northeast, is the main town of the area, with fuel, supermarkets and all services. The lake is lovely in the early morning and the evening, when the water is still and the light is soft.