The Lake District
Ullswater
Ullswater.... is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately 9 miles (14.5 kilometres) long and 0.75 miles (1,200 metres) wide with a maximum depth of sightly more than 60 metres (197 ft). Many regard Ullswater as the most beautiful of the English lakes. It is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor, the deepened section filled with melt-water when the glacier retreated, and it became a lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of an elongated "Z" giving it three separate segments (or "reaches") that wend their way through the surrounding hills.
Ullswater 2011 - GP14 Cruising weekend , 4 boats launched from Sailing Club. I stayed at Caravan site opposite and launched from there. Good facilities and excellent sailing area with magnificent views
2014 - returned for a long weekend and still not able to get the whole length - the winds just fell away approaching Glenridding. Same again 2016 this time with York SC but this time excuse was the winds were too strong!
The village of Glenridding, situated at the southern end of the lake, is popular with tourists of all kinds but especially mountain walkers who can scale England's third highest mountain, Helvellyn, and many other challenging peaks from there. The village has ample accommodation including two Youth Hostels and camp sites. The village of Pooley Bridge is at the northern extremity of the lake. Its narrow 16th-century bridge straddles the River Eamont as it flows out of Ullswater, it is overlooked by Dunmallard Hill which was the site of an Iron Age fort. For much of its length Ullswater forms the border between the ancient counties of Cumberland and Westmorland.
Sir Donald Campbell set the world water speed record on Ullswater on July 23, 1955, when he piloted the jet-propelled hydroplane "Bluebird K7" to a speed of 202.32 mph (325.53 km/h). That’s is nearly as fast as I got in 2016!
.jpg)
Windermere
I have been sailing out for the Royal Windermere YC three times now. This is the club that my GP14 '28' Aeolian first made its maiden voyage in 1952. The Vintage Section have always been very welcome here and it is a lovely club surrounded but absolute tourist chaos. Why would anyone want to live there!
Bassenthwaite
Have been here a couple of times - nice club but getting a bit worn around the edges. Amazing water to sail in (a lot of it, for a start) but just be wary of potential down-draft winds.
