Lake District
Gowbarrow Park
464M
1522FT
About Gowbarrow Park
Rising steeply above the western shore of Ullswater, this former medieval deer park offers a delightful blend of rugged crags and heather-clad slopes. While modest in height, its position provides an unparalleled vantage point over the lake's reaches, making it a rewarding objective from the nearby village of Glenridding.
Key Statistics
Rank
487th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Eastern Fells
Prominence
?
18m
Nearest Town
Dockray
Geology
You are walking on the Birker Fell formation, which consists of a volcanic rock called andesite. These ancient lava flows formed the solid foundation of this fell.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY407213
Latitude
54.5838°N
Longitude
2.9178°W
Did You Know?
- •The name Gowbarrow likely stems from the Old Norse 'golr', meaning yellow, and 'berg', meaning hill, a reference to the vibrant gorse and grasses that still colonise its lower flanks.
- •The fell is inextricably linked to English literature; it was while walking the shoreline at the foot of Gowbarrow Park in 1802 that Dorothy and William Wordsworth encountered the 'host of golden daffodils' that inspired William's most famous poem.
- •The summit is officially named Airy Crag, a rocky outcrop that provides a magnificent, unobstructed view south-east across the zig-zags of Ullswater towards the massive bulk of Place Fell and the High Street range.
- •Historically, the area served as a private hunting forest for the Greystoke Estate, and remnants of the original boundary wall—once designed to keep deer in—still trace a prominent line across the fellside.
- •While the lower paths near Aira Force are often bustling with visitors, the upper reaches of the fell retain a surprisingly wild character, populated more by Herdwick sheep than the tourists seeking the famous waterfall below.