Our work
Friends of the Ullswater Way develops, funds and works with partners on projects that help people understand and experience the Ullswater Valley.
Our work brings together local knowledge, walking, art, literature, community science and sustainable access — from talks and digital archives to cultural routes, fieldwork and partner-led projects across the valley.
Current work
These are the projects and programmes we are actively developing now.
Community science / latest update June 2026Ullswater Ecology Education Project
Students, volunteers and local partners are helping build a clearer picture of Ullswater’s freshwater ecology through fieldwork, sampling and shared data.
In June 2026, students from Ullswater Community College and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School took part in shoreline sampling on Ullswater, supported by Field Studies Council Blencathra and FOUW volunteers. The schools project builds on our Lakefly citizen science work with volunteer sampling teams around the lake.
We’re helping bring schools, volunteers and project partners together to learn more about freshwater life in Ullswater.
Access CampaignStybarrow Crag Walkway
We are working with partners to explore a safer way for walkers to pass Stybarrow Crag without having to use the A592.
This short stretch remains one of the most difficult places for people walking around the Ullswater Way. We are keeping the issue visible and working with partners on a practical way forward.
Talks ProgrammeUnderstanding Ullswater Talks: Next Event
Explore all projects
Some projects are led by FOUW; others are developed with local partners. Together, they help people explore, understand and connect with the Ullswater Valley.
Understanding Ullswater
Projects that gather and share local knowledge, research, memories, fieldwork and community learning about the Ullswater Valley.
Heritage Knowledge Bank
FOUW resource / Local knowledge
A growing digital resource bringing together articles, memories, research, images and local knowledge about the Ullswater Valley.
The Knowledge Bank helps make Ullswater’s history, communities, landscape and traditions easier to find, share and build on.
Oral Histories
Community-led project / Local voices
A project recording the voices, experiences and memories of people connected with the Ullswater Valley.
The recordings help preserve personal stories and local knowledge, with material feeding into the wider Heritage Knowledge Bank.
Lakefly Ecology Project
FOUW project / Community science
A volunteer-led project using Lakefly sampling to build a clearer picture of freshwater life and water quality around Ullswater.
Volunteers collect samples from sites around the lake, helping create a shared record of what is living in the water and how this changes over time.
Understanding Ullswater Talks
FOUW programme / Knowledge, landscape and community
A regular programme of talks and field visits exploring Ullswater’s nature, heritage, landscape and communities.
Talks are free to attend, with donations shared between FOUW and the speaker’s chosen charity. Many past talks are also available to watch online.
Ullswater Ecology Education
Partnership project / Schools and fieldwork
A schools project introducing students to Ullswater’s freshwater ecology through field studies, shoreline sampling and shared data.
The project brings together local schools, Field Studies Council Blencathra, FOUW volunteers and freshwater ecology partners.
Matterdale Habitat Survey
Community-led project / Habitat mapping
A community habitat mapping project helping local volunteers understand the landscape and habitats of Matterdale.
The project combines local knowledge, training and fieldwork to create a clearer picture of the area’s habitats.
Art, literature and creative interpretation
Projects that help people experience Ullswater through art, literature, viewpoints, routes and place-based interpretation.
Wordsworth Way
FOUW project / Literature, landscape and walking
A literary route connecting Ullswater with places linked to William and Dorothy Wordsworth, including Grisedale, Grasmere, Rydal and Ambleside.
The route invites people to experience the landscape through walking, poetry, memory and place.
Heritage Trail
FOUW project / Public art and interpretation
A trail of installations and interpretation that adds stories, artworks and local history to places around Ullswater.
The Heritage Trail helps people notice the layers of human and cultural history that sit within the landscape.
Virtual Art Gallery
FOUW resource / Art and viewpoints
A digital gallery connecting artworks of Ullswater with the real places, views and landscapes that inspired them.
The gallery brings together artists, viewpoints and local stories, helping people see Ullswater through different eyes.
Aerial Tours
FOUW resource / Landscape from above
A collection of aerial tours helping people understand Ullswater’s routes, villages, viewpoints and landscape from a different perspective.
The tours support orientation, exploration and storytelling across the valley.
Aira Force Daffodil Project
FOUW funding support / Native daffodils
A National Trust project, supported by FOUW funding, to restore native wild daffodils at Aira Force and Gowbarrow Park.
The project connects Ullswater’s natural and cultural landscape with the daffodils associated with William and Dorothy Wordsworth.
Access and sustainable travel
Projects that help people reach, move through and experience Ullswater more easily and sustainably.
Eamont Way
Partnership project / Car-free access
A walking route connecting Penrith Station with Pooley Bridge, helping people reach Ullswater without relying on a car.
The route links town, river, villages and lake, creating a more sustainable way into Ullswater from the railway.
Stybarrow Crag Walkway
Access campaign / Safer walking
A current access campaign focused on finding a safer way for walkers to pass Stybarrow Crag without using the A592.
We are working with partners to keep the issue moving and explore a practical solution for this difficult section.
SITU Ullswater Bus
FOUW funding support / Sustainable travel
FOUW provides funding support for the Ullswater Bus because it helps people explore the valley without relying on a car.
The service supports car-free days out and makes it easier to explore different parts of the valley.