Martindale is a valley, village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Westmorland and Furness Westmorland and Furness is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Cumbria, England. The economy is mainly focused on tourism around both the Lake District and Cumbria Coast, shipbuilding and the Royal Port of Barrow, Royal ...

https://cumbriacvs.org.uk/local-government-reorganisation/#:~:text=From%201%20April%202023%20local,Eden%2C%20and%20South%20Lakeland%20areas. , England, situated within the

Lake District National Park The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

between the lakes of

Ullswater Ullswater is a glacial lake in Cumbria, England and part of the Lake District National Park. It is the second largest lake in the region by both area and volume, after Windermere. The lake is about long, wide, and has a maximum depth of . I ...

and Haweswater. The valley is served by a narrow minor road which runs as far as the farm of Dale Head. This road commences at

Howtown Howtown is a hamlet in Cumbria, England, situated at a small harbour on the east shore of Ullswater in the Lake District. It lies within the civil parish of Martindale. Howtown is about three and a half miles from Pooley Bridge and is best re ...

, a hamlet on the shore of Ullswater that forms part of the civil parish but is not in the valley of Martindale, and passes over a mountain pass or hause into the valley. At the time of the 2011 census the population of the civil parish was less than 100. Details are included in the parish of Bampton.

Description

Martindale runs for approximately nine km in a north to south direction, it is a remote and thinly populated valley which has a permanent population of only about 50 residents. English Lakes website.
Gives population of valley as "about 50 permanent residents". The foot of the valley is located at the small hamlet of Sandwick on the western shore of Ullswater, while its head is situated on the slopes of Rampsgill Head where the headwaters of Howegrain Beck rise at a height of around 700 metres above sea level. The upper part of the valley is divided into two branches by the fell of

The Nab The Nab is a fell in the English Lake District. It has a moderate height of , and lies in the quieter eastern high ground between Ullswater and Haweswater Reservoir. The Nab is included in Alfred Wainwright's list of Lakeland fells and many walk ...

, these two sub valleys named Bannerdale and Rampsgill contain the streams of Bannerdale Beck and Rampsgill Beck which meet at a point midway down Martindale to form Howegrain Beck which then becomes the main watercourse for the lower part of Martindale and enters Ullswater at Sandwick. Landscape Heritage.
Gives general details of Martindale.''"Wainwright In The Valleys Of Lakeland"'', Alfred Wainwright, Page 69, , Gives general description of Martindale. Just before reaching Sandwick, Martindale is joined by the side valley of

Boredale Boredale sometimes known as Boardale, is a valley within Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, England. The valley is close to the eastern shore of Ullswater and lies between the hills of Place Fell to the west and Beda Fell to the east. B ...

, which enters from the south.

Deer reserve

The upper part of Martindale around

is a

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

reserve which is not open to the public and contains no

rights of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

. The reserve is home to the oldest native red deer herd in England. Hill walkers are requested by the Dalemain Estate, which owns the reserve, to keep to preferred routes which avoid the herds when climbing The Nab, to which there is now open access under the

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37), also known as the CRoW Act and "Right to Roam" Act, is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament affecting England and Wales which came into force on 30 November 2000. Right to roam The Act impleme ...

. Access to the summit of the Nab is across a difficult peat bog and there is no descent from the Nab, instead walkers must return to the High Street. www.dalemain.com.
Gives details of deer reserve. At the foot of The Nab is “The Bungalow”, this is a former shooting lodge which was constructed in 1910 by

Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, (25 January 1857–13 April 1944) was an English peer and sportsman. He was president of Bertram Mills Olympia Circus and a vice-president of the RSPCA. Early life Born in 1857, he was the second so ...

for a deer shooting visit by the German Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

in 1910. Today The Bungalow is used as self-catering accommodation which houses 10 people. www.dalemain.com.
Gives details of The Bungalow.

Habitations

The main area of habitation in the valley itself is situated in its lower area where the road comes over the hause from

. Here there is Hause Farm, The Old Reading Room and a few self-catering holiday homes. At the top of the hause is St Peter's Church often referred to as the New Church, it dates from 1880. Visit Cumbria.
Gives details of new church. Half a kilometre further up the valley is the restored St Martin's Church, the present building dates from the end of the 16th century. Visit Cumbria.
Gives details of old church. Other farm buildings in the mid and upper parts of Martindale are Winter Crag, Knicklethorns, Henhow, Thrang Crag and Dale Head. Martindale is surrounded by the

Far Eastern Fells The Far Eastern Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Reaching their highest point at High Street (828 metres or 2.718 ft.), they occupy a broad area to the east of Ullswater and Kirkstone Pass. ...

and is a popular starting point for

hillwalking Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiva ...

. One of the most popular walks is the Martindale Skyline, a 16 km walk with just over 1000 metres of ascent which takes in many of the peaks around the valley including

Beda Fell Beda Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated to the south of Ullswater. It divides the valleys of Boredale and Bannerdale within the Martindale system. Topography The southern boundary of the Martindale catchment is formed by a ...

and Steel Knotts. BBC Cumbria.
Gives details of Martindale Skyline walk.

References

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Martindale
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) {{Cumbria Valleys of Cumbria Villages in Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria Westmorland and Furness

Description

Deer reserve

Habitations

See also

References

External links