(Top) View from the bridge above Aira Force (National Trust) towards the lower viewing platform and bridge (closed due to a tree fall). One of several cascades on the Aira Beck upstream of Aira Force. (Bottom) Heading up from Aira Force to the summit of Gowbarrow Fell (481 m), before returning along the Ullswater Way to Pooley Bridge via the steamer pier.
The Lowther Loop extension to the Ullswater Way. After climbing up to High Street from Pooley Bridge, the route descends from Askham Fell into (top) the picturesque village of Helton. (Bottom) The destination is Lowther Castle, a striking building, but which on closer inspection is just a shell. The extensive Lowther estates had been largely ruined by the extravagant 5th Earl of Londsdale (Hugh Lowther). In 1957, faced with £25 million of death duties, the 7th Earl abandoned the castle, and had the building demolished to leave the current shell.
On the return journey, we stopped for lunch at the intriguing Brougham Hall. Curiously the hall was usually sold in three parts, with Lady Anne Clifford being a part owner in the 17th C. Much like Lowther Castle, the hall was brought to ruin by a combination of a spendthrift owner and the costs of running a country house after World War I. It is gradually being brought to life as a centre for craft workshops and small businesses. The hall chapel, St. Wilfred’s, (right) was restored by Lady Anne.
