Pooley Bridge Walks

At the foot of Ullswater

Walks from Pooley Bridge

Pooley Bridge sits at the quiet northern foot of Ullswater, where the lake narrows to the River Eamont — a small, welcoming village that makes an ideal walking base away from the busier Glenridding end.

From here you can stroll the lake shore, walk the classic shoreline leg to Howtown and ride an Ullswater Steamer back, loop the wooded hill-fort of Dunmallard right on the doorstep, or head up onto the open moor to an ancient stone circle. Below is our hand-picked pick of the best, with honest distances, parking and difficulty for each.

Walked and measured

Kailpot Crag from St Peter's Church, Martindale

Visited Monday 14 September 2026 · GPS-tracked

Kailpot Crag is the wild-swimming rock on Ullswater's Howtown shore — a tilted slab with grass on top and deep water straight off the edge. The distance you will read everywhere is 0.75 miles each way. It is not. I walked it with a GPS track running and it is about 1.05 miles each way, 2.1 miles round trip, with 459 ft (140 m) of climbing — nearly all of it on the way back, because the route is downhill out and uphill home. Allow an hour with stops. It is not to be confused with Kail Pot on the River Esk in Eskdale — same name, opposite side of the national park.

The route, step by step

1. 1

   Park at St Peter's Church, Martindale

   The church at the top of the Hause — the sign on the gate reads The Parish Church of Saint Peter, Martindale. Room for 30–40 cars on the gravel either side of the road at ///admits.camcorder.molars. Two hand-painted CHURCH PARKING boards stand at the gate: this is church ground, not a public car park, and there was no charge and no honesty box on the day. If it is full, Waterside House campsite back towards Pooley Bridge offers signed parking — it is in the field on the left; the clearly signed private drive on the right is not it. This is the same car park as Hallin Fell.

   

   

2. 2

   Down the road, then the "Lakeshore ½ mile" fingerpost

   From the church walk back down the road towards Howtown. About 50 yards below the church a track forks left, with a public footpath sign reading Lakeshore ½ mile. Take it. That half mile is to the shore at the foot of a private drive — it is not the distance to the crag, which is roughly twice as far, and it is almost certainly where the "0.75 miles" figure came from. (The board by the church pointing to St Martin's Old Church is a different sign and nothing to do with this walk.)

3. 3

   The gate — do not go through it

   The track drops to a wooden five-bar gate standing open in the wall on your left, with a yellow waymark disc on the post. Through it is a private drive down to the shore, and at the bottom you cannot turn left along the water. Stay on the main gravel path, which carries straight on to the right of the gate, running along the wall.

   

4. 4

   The second fork — left for the crag, right for the shore

   A little further on the path splits again, and both branches have something to offer. The left, which climbs, is the way to the crag. The right drops to the water's edge, where there are places to sit and a couple of benches — if someone in the party is not swimming, or you have small children, that is the better half of the walk for them. Meet back at the fork.

   

5. 5

   Through the bracken above the lake

   From here the path cannot be mistaken. It runs on through bracken with the lake below you and the view opening down towards Pooley Bridge, until the crag appears ahead.

   

   

6. 6

   Kailpot Crag

   A tilted rock promontory with grass on top and Ullswater on three sides — I stood on it at ///retract.octagonal.tinkle. The water off the edge is deep. Then turn round: the way back is the same path, and the 280 ft climb from the shore to the church is the only real effort of the day — plan for it if you are carrying swim gear, a dog or children.

   

Before you get in, or near the edge

Two churches, one car park

The board by St Peter's pointing to St Martin's Old Church, ½ mile is worth following if you have time, though it is nothing to do with the crag walk. St Martin's is the original Martindale church, half a mile further up the valley: there has been a place of worship on the site since at least 1220, the present building is late 16th century, and the yew in the churchyard is thought to be around 1,300 years old. St Peter's was built as its replacement and consecrated on 6 January 1882 — and on that same day a storm brought down the Old Church's roof. It was repaired within the year, and both churches still stand. St Martin's holds occasional services, so check before visiting.