English Lakeland

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12. Ullswater And Patterdale



Ullswater and Patterdale. - This is the first view we have as we debouch from Kirkstone Pass and Brothers' Water into the Vale of Patterdale, and shows well the park-like nature of the scenery, with Patterdale Church nestling among its famous yew trees.





Striding Edge, Helvellyn. - The Ullswater side of the second highest mountain boasts two fine ridges, Striding and Swirrell Edges, between which reposes the highest sheet of water in Lakeland - Red Tarn. The traverse of these edges is somewhat of a mountaineering feat, and in a high wind Striding Edge can be distinctly unpleasant. This is the scene of Wordsworth's "Fidelity," where he describes a faithful dog which watched over its master's dead body for three months -

"How nourished here through such long time
He knows, who gave that love sublime
And gave that strength of feeling, great
Beyond all human estimate!"