9.8km/6.4 miles/3 hours
Ascent 469m/1540ft
IN THE BEAUTIFUL mountain fastness of Martindale, a fine ridge juts into the centre of the ring of fells. This makes a good introduction to a longer circuit but is also a pleasant, Cat-Bells-sized outing on its own merits.
Although Martindale takes a little bit of getting to, with the zig and zag round the Ullswater lakefoot, it is a place of supreme beauty once you’re there. No fewer than four valleys come down and converge at this tiny community, with Beda Fell forming the, is generally elusive but may often be spotted on the flanks of Beda Fell. Typically you might see a hind appointed as lookout, with the rest of the herd a little further away. In the autumn, the stags can often be heard bellowing as they compete for the right to father the next generation. This is one of Lakeland’s greatest annual spectacles, and these hills also look their finest when the bracken turns rust.
