Silver Crag Dog Walk

Walk Stats

Overview

With its serpentine nature and a backdrop of impressive fells, Ullswater is one of the most photogenic of the lakes. It doesn’t really matter where you approach it from, it’s always a stunner. This walk visits Silver Point and Silver Crag, two vantage points that provide superb views over this fine body of water.

A relatively short walk from Patterdale, Silver Point is reached first, by following a clear, low-level track just above the shore. The juniper-clad top of Silver Crag is then won after a short climb. From here, the return route traverses the lower slopes of Birk Fell and Place Fell, where a handy bench later provides a great spot from which to take in those amazing views one more time. 

The Walk

Leave the car park and turn right along the A592. After 150 yards (137m), take the track on the right. With Place Fell visible ahead, this later goes through the yard at Side Farm, passing to the left of the farmhouse. Turn left on reaching the broad track at the back of the buildings, soon passing through a large gate. Don’t be tempted by any of the gates on the left as you make your way towards Silver Point.

The gently undulating track is straightforward, easily fording a few small becks as it heads north. (I say ‘easily’, but that depends on your dog... When we first got our rescue dog Jess – sadly no longer with us – she didn’t like getting her paws wet and refused to walk through even the shallowest of puddles!)

About 1.2 miles (1.9km) beyond Side Farm, you reach a high point on the path as it swings slightly right. To visit Silver Point – less than 200 yards, or 182m, away – leave the main path in a short while by turning left along a faint, grassy trail. From the top of the promontory, steep crags plummet suddenly into the water below, while a grassy shore and shingle beach in Silver Bay down to the right provide picnicking opportunities. From the headland, return to the main path and continue in the same direction as before.



In a short while, you will see a pitched path heading uphill on the right. (It’s easy to walk straight past it without even seeing it, so keep your eyes peeled!) Take this, climbing at a moderate angle to a secret hollow between Silver Crag on your right and Birk Fell on your left.

For a detour to the top of Silver Crag – again, just 200 yards or so – watch for a faint trail on the right as you approach the southern end of this valley. Take this and, when it splits, bear right again to climb quickly to the summit. A narrow path fights its way through the forest of chest-high juniper that covers the top, but it’s worth the effort: there are great views across to the Helvellyn range and towards Kirkstone Pass.

Juniper is one of only three conifers native to Britain – the other two being Scot’s pine and yew. Its berries are used to flavour gin and, in the 17th century, they were recommended as a treatment for asthma and sciatica.



Having retraced your steps down to the gap, turn right to continue in the same direction as before. A gorgeous, grassy path now stretches out in the front of you. It traverses the fellside, above the track followed on the way out. The little bit of extra height provides a surprisingly different perspective on your surroundings. Ignore any paths dropping back to the main track. You pass a green, Victorian bench, beyond which the path descends slightly, passing some dramatic old quarry workings on the way.

Approaching piles of slate at the next set of workings, the path forks. Take either branch, although the one to the left is slightly easier. The path forks again above some cottages. Turn right here, dropping to cross a small bridge. Go through the large gate to gain access to the top of a lane. Turn left and follow this lane round to the right as another heads left. Turn right at the T-junction with the A592 in Patterdale. The car park where the walk started is on the right soon after the White Lion Inn.       

Vivienne Crow has written a number of Lake District guidebooks. Her latest include Outstanding Walks Lake District, published by Ordnance Survey.