Aira Force is a 65ft waterfall in the tranquil Ullswater valley. I had heard how beautiful it was so on a recent camping trip to Pooley Bridge John and I decided to make the most of the warm weather and visit the National Trust site.
The first thing that struck us was the cost of parking which is a little dear at £5 for a couple of hours. If you’re a frequent visitor to National Trust sites it would be worth paying for a membership as parking is included. Although parking is a bit pricey it’s obvious the National Trust do a lot of work to maintain the surrounding woodland paths and preserve the area so the money is supporting a good cause. Plus it means there are toilets, a shop and a cafe on site.
The walk to the waterfall is circular and we chose to go left which turned out to be the easy option. The path is a gradual incline and avoids the 105 steps you would need to take if you chose the other option and went right.
There is plenty to see in the ancient woodland surrounding Aira Force including a fallen tree with pennies pushed into it, a tradition which has seen the tree become known as the money tree.
The path leads up to the stone bridge at the crest of the waterfall but just before you reach the top you can stop to enjoy a beautiful view of Ullswater.
The whole walk takes around an hour and the waterfall itself is pretty spectacular.
