Matterdale End Cycling Guide

Matterdale End cycling provides a manageable, steady gradient with breathtaking views over Ullswater.

Direction: South to North: Ullswater (Aira Force) to the A66​

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Overview

Matterdale End (often known locally as Park Brow at its lower base) is a classic, heavy power-climb that acts as the northern escape hatch out of the Ullswater basin. Ridden in the classic anticlockwise Fred Whitton direction, immediately following the fast, rolling lakeside run along Ullswater, it acts as a rude awakening. It breaks your rhythm with a sharp, structural punch, testing your gear selection and raw power before letting you cross the high moors toward the A66 and Keswick.

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The Details

• Distance: 1.86km

• Elevation gain: 138m

• Average gradient: 7.4% 

• Maximum gradient: 12% (The lower wooded section past the junction)

• Nearby Landmarks: Aira Force waterfall base, St Matterdale Church

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History & Character

The route up Matterdale End passes through a historic valley landscape shaped by medieval boundaries, ancient royal hunting grounds, and Victorian romanticism. The lower slopes of the climb run directly alongside Aira Force, the famous arboretum, waterfall, and ancient woodland glen managed by the National Trust. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this dramatic torrent became a cornerstone of the "Picturesque" travel movement. It famously inspired William Wordsworth to pen his narrative poem "The Somnambulist," using the dark, roaring waters of the glen as a dramatic backdrop.

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Long before the tourists arrived, the surrounding high country of Gowbarrow Park and Matterdale Common operated as a massive, 14th-century royal hunting forest under the Barony of Greystoke. The fells were so densely populated that early records note the area "contained more deer than trees." To accommodate high-society hunts, the Duke of Norfolk constructed Lyulph’s Tower here in the 1780s. Built in a castellated Gothic style on the ruins of a medieval pele tower, it was named after L'Ulf (Lyulph), the first Norse-Gaelic Baron of Ullswater, whose name is widely believed to have given the lake its modern title. As the deer receded, the open fells were claimed by generations of hardy upland farmers managing common grazing lands across the high mosses.

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Architecturally, the pass is anchored by the historic Church of St Matterdale, a beautiful, isolated 16th-century chapel sitting in a shallow dip just off the main road. Prior to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, locals had to trek miles over dangerous, snow-swept mountain terrain to reach the parish church at Greystoke. To end this treacherous commute, this chapel of ease was licensed in 1573. The low, sturdy building was reconstructed around 1685 using local stone and thick structural timbers specifically designed to survive the brutal winter gales that blast straight down from the Helvellyn range.

The church retained a traditional thatched roof until 1848, when a slate roof and stone tower were added. Inside, it houses a massive stone baptismal font hauled up the pass from the old church at Greystoke. The valley itself was notoriously late to enter the modern world due to its severe isolation; mains water was only connected to local farms in 1934, and electricity didn't arrive until 1961. Standing in the graveyard today, the pass serves as a physical reminder of how remote and inhospitable this high country was before modern tarmac bridged the valleys.

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What to Expect

By the standards of the western passes, Matterdale End is a much longer, more predictable drag that rarely relies on bike-stopping, catastrophic percentages. However, its true difficulty lies in its relentless, structural pacing. The climb begins the exact moment you turn away from the shores of Ullswater, launching straight up from the tree-lined junction onto the A5091. This initial lower segment, known formally as Park Brow, hits you immediately with a heavy 8% to 10% wall through a narrow, winding channel of dense woodland. Because this opening mile is sheltered by the deep tree canopy of the glen, you are well protected from any weather, but the sudden transition requires a rapid dump through your gears to preserve your legs. 

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As you clear the trees and pass the higher National Trust parking areas, the entire character of the climb completely transforms. The road leaves the sheltered woodland behind and breaks out onto the wild, expansive common land under the watchful eye of Gowbarrow Fell. It is at this precise transition point that the visual reward of the climb reveals itself. If you turn your head and look back over your right shoulder, the valley opens up to deliver a breathtaking, elevated panoramic view across the deep blue waters of Ullswater, with the dramatic ridges of the Far Eastern Fells framing the horizon behind you. It is a world-class view, but you will have to enjoy it on the move, as there is nowhere to easily stop.

 

The exposed middle stretch changes from a winding lane into a straight, unyielding, and completely exposed mountain drag. The gradient locks in at a relentless 8% average for roughly a mile. The road is wide and excellently engineered, but it lacks any real switchbacks, sharp corners, or stone walls to hide from the elements. Because the landscape is so open, you get an completely uninterrupted view of the tarmac stretching straight out ahead of you into the distance. It becomes a heavy psychological battle; you can see the incline dragging up the hillside, and a block headwind roaring down from the fells can bring your speed down to a near-standstill. Once you grind through this sustained wall of effort and pass the fortified stone walls of St Matterdale Church, the gradient finally dies flat at the high plateau hamlet of Matterdale End. The ultimate reward is the magnificent panorama across the northern fells before launching into an incredibly fast, wide-open descent down to the A66 valley floor.

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Guide's Experience

I always warn our Kelda Adventures riders to watch out for the mental trap on Matterdale End. After descending Kirkstone and enjoying the glorious, fast false flats along the edge of Ullswater, it is incredibly easy to get lulled into a false sense of security. You feel like an absolute legend rolling along the lake hitting temporary average speeds you can only dream of in the Lakes but then you turn left at the junction and get hit square in the face by a 10% wall.

 

It doesn't have the 30% headlines of the western giants, but it is a stubborn, dragging climb that chips away at your energy reserves. Whilst it is a battle to get to the top, it never feels like one you're going to lose and, as long as you keep your gearing and heart rate under control, you can really spend your time looking around and soaking in the incredible views - particularly looking back over your shoulder to Ullswater.

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This climb features in our Fred Whitton Epic & Classic tours.