Heughscar Hill and the 4,000-year-old Cockpit stone circle, with some of the widest views of Ullswater you can earn in a morning — straight from the village.
The walk
The Pooley Bridge circular is the best half-day on foot at the foot of Ullswater. It climbs gently out of the village onto Barton Fell and Moor Divock, passes the ancient Cockpit stone circle, and tops out on Heughscar Hill (about 375m) — a broad, grassy summit with a limestone scar on its flank and a clean sweep of the whole lake below. You are walking on the line of the Roman road, High Street, the entire way up.
It is roughly 5.5 miles (9 km), around 3 hours, with one steady pull onto the fell and no scrambling — moderate, and very doable for active families and dogs. The reward-to-effort ratio is excellent: this is open-fell scenery and a 4,000-year-old monument, with a tea room waiting back in the village. It also forms the quiet northern start of the longer Ullswater Way.
Prefer the lake-and-boat classic instead? Walk the eastern shore from Pooley Bridge to Howtown and ride the Steamer back — see the village guide.
Pooley Bridge walksStep by step
A clockwise loop from the village. Allow ~3 hours; longer if you linger at the views.
Start at Pooley Bridge itself. Head up the main street past the church and turn onto Roehead Lane, climbing gently away from the lake towards the open fell.
Pass through the gate onto open access land. A clear track leads up onto the broad moor, with Ullswater opening up behind you and the Eden Valley to the north-east.
Reach the Cockpit — a low Bronze Age stone circle on the line of the Roman High Street. A quiet, atmospheric spot and the natural turning point of the walk.
Bear north along the fell to the summit of Heughscar Hill (~375m), passing below the limestone outcrop of Heugh Scar. The top gives the best view of the day — the full length of Ullswater backed by the eastern fells.
Drop off the fell on grassy tracks and lanes back down towards Roehead and into the village, closing the loop at the bridge — in good time for lunch or a Steamer.
Route description is a guide, not turn-by-turn navigation. Carry OS Explorer OL5 and don't rely on a phone alone on the open fell.
What you'll see
The big-view summit — the whole of Ullswater laid out below, for a fraction of the effort of the high fells. Not a Wainwright, but it earns its keep.
A 4,000-year-old Bronze Age circle on Moor Divock, on the line of the Roman High Street. Free, ancient and almost always empty.
Open moorland with the lake on one side and the Eden Valley and Pennines on the other — wide skies, far horizons, and very few people.
Getting there
Be prepared
Open fell above the Cockpit — easy to misread in mist. Carry OS Explorer OL5 and a compass or GPS.
Welcome throughout, but keep under close control near grazing sheep — especially lambing season (spring).
Boots or sturdy trail shoes — grassy fell tracks can be wet and rough underfoot after rain.
Exposed on the moor — check the Pooley Bridge forecast and pack a windproof layer.
Afterwards
The walk ends right in the village, so the pubs, tea rooms and shops are on your doorstep. A few favourites:
Riverside tearoom by the bridge — scones, cakes and a garden over the Eamont. Dog-friendly.
Family-run gastro-pub — open fires, hearty food and a big garden for a post-walk pint.
1863, The Secret Garden, The Crown Inn, the village stores and more — all on the Pooley Bridge guide.
Good to know
Keep exploring
The village guide — the bridge, eateries, the Steamer pier and where to stay.
The whole lake — Steamers, the Ullswater Way, Howtown and the webcam.
Hallin Fell, the Ullswater Way, Place Fell and Helvellyn — the canonical routes.
Browse walks across every valley in the national park.