Patterdale

Patterdale
Village and parish
The Patterdale valley seen from Hartsop Dodd
Patterdale is located in the former Eden District
Patterdale
Patterdale
Location in the former Eden District
Patterdale is located in Cumbria
Patterdale
Patterdale
Location within Cumbria
Population501 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceNY3915
Civil parish
  • Patterdale
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPENRITH
Postcode districtCA11
Dialling code017684
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°31′59″N 2°56′06″W / 54.53296°N 2.93490°W / 54.53296; -2.93490

Patterdale (Saint Patrick's Dale) is a small village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It is in the eastern part of the Lake District, and the name is also used for the long valley in which the village sits, also called the Ullswater Valley. The parish had a population of 460 in 2001,[2] increasing to 501 at the 2011 census.[1]

The poet William Wordsworth lived near Patterdale in his youth, and his autobiographical poem The Prelude narrates such childhood activities as fishing in the lake from a stolen boat. The village is now the start point for hill walking, most notably the Striding Edge path up to Helvellyn. Other fells that can be reached from the valley include Place Fell, High Street, Glenridding Dodd, most of the peaks in the Helvellyn range, Fairfield and St Sunday Crag, and Red Screes and Stony Cove Pike at the very end of the valley, standing either side of the Kirkstone Pass which is the road to Ambleside.

Further up the valley to the north is the lake of Ullswater with Gowbarrow Fell and Hallin Fell overlooking it. The only tarn in the valley is Brothers Water, one of the first places in the Lake District to be acquired by the National Trust. The only other village in the valley is Glenridding. Patterdale village has a youth hostel, a church, a primary school and a hotel. In summer it can get quite busy, but not so much as Glenridding. Patterdale is considered to be a walkers' valley, and in fact Alfred Wainwright stated that it was his favourite valley in the Lake District as it is relatively undisturbed by tourism.

Patterdale and Glenridding were badly affected by Storm Desmond in December 2015.

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Patterdale Parish (E04002566)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Patterdale Parish (16UF057)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 April 2021.