Patterdale and Boredale

8 miles and between four and five hours.

This walk involves some uphill work to get you to a distant valley not often seen by walkers. A modest amount of pastoral lane walking is the price you pay for the marvellous landscapes of Boredale, one of Lakeland's hidden gems, and the Ullswater shore path.

Set off from the Patterdale village car park and turn left to a bend beyond the White Lion pub, where you can go down a minor road leading to a group of cottages at Rooking. Follow the road to a gate and turn right through it, to gain a well-trodden path slanting across the lower slopes of Place Fell.

The path rises steadily to Boredale Hause, a long-established route across the fells. If the uphill work starts to get to you, the backwards view across the valley, which takes in Striding Edge and Helvellyn, is a more than ample excuse to pause for a breather. As you reach Boredale Hause, move left on a gently-rising path that very soon forks.

There is some potential for confusion here since paths also go left up Place Fell and right across a stream to Angletarn Pikes. What you need to do is to keep ahead, crossing the hause, west to east (the path soon becomes more evident), to reach a superb viewpoint at the top of a quite unexpected rocky gully, which lies at the head of the long alley of Boredale.

The fine ridge on your right as you look out from the top of the fell is that of Beda fell, sandwiched between Boredale and the adjacent valley of Bannerdale. Descend the gully with care; there is a good path, but the upper section is a little loose. It does improve, however as you go down into the valley-and the descent only requires a little thought over the placement of your feet. The path slopes unerringly down to Boredale Head Farm, where you meet the valley road.

This is a busy, working, farm, but normally you can keep ahead through it. Occasionally if it it's busy, you need to take to a permissive path that goes around the farm on the left. left. The road, which can be busy with visitors in summer months, then leads on in the company of Boredale Beck, which it later crosses at an ideal spot for a break. Stay on the road to a left leading branching road on the down to Sandwick.

Ignore another road (on the right) as you approach Doe Green Farm, and keep on around the grassy spur of Sleet Fell as far as a signpost on the left, pointing out the way back to Patterdale. Go left here, abandoning the road, following a good path near a wall. Beyond Scalehow Beck (crossed by a footbridge) the path finally eases towards the Ullswater shoreline.

Between Scalehow Beck and Silver Bay, the walking is of the very best, following a path that seems to go on for ever. Just after a stretch of woodland, Silver Bay is reached, another perfect spot for a rest, and one you will find difficult to leave.

As you go round Silver Point, the path negotiates a series of dips and colls as it leads you along towards the lake. Finally widens into a farm track, descending towards Side Farm. At Side Farm turn right between farm buildings and follow its access road out to the main valley road, to the George Starkey Memorial Hut. Turn left, to reach the car park in just a few minutes.