Boredale
Encyclopedia
Boredale sometimes known as Boardale, is a valley in Cumbria
, England, it is situated within the Lake District
National Park. 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.
Boredale runs in a northerly direction for a distance of 4.5 km from its head at Boredale Hause
to its convergence with the valley of Martindale
. It is a thinly populated valley with the structures of Garth Heads, Howsteadbrow, Nettleslack and Boredale Head being the only inhabited buildings in the valley. The traditional stone and slate Nettleslack cottage dates from 1756, it was modernised in 1997 and is now rented out as holiday accommodation. There is a narrow tarmac
road which runs up the valley for 2.5 km until it reaches the farm of Boredale Head, from here the road becomes a bridleway
which climbs up on to the fell
s and reaches Boredale Hause at a height of 399 metres. Footpaths also leave the valley at the farm buildings of Garths Head and climb the hillsides to reach the summits of Place Fell and Beda Fell.
The name of the valley means “valley with the herdman's hut or storehouse”, the linguistic source of this uncertain, coming either from the Old Norse
word bur or the Old English word bir. In the year 1250 the valley was known as Burdal. Renowned Lake District writers William Wordsworth
and Alfred Wainwright
both used the incorrect spelling and usage of “Boardale” believing that it referred to pig
s. Wainwright in his book “In The Valleys Of Lakeland” refers to Boredale as “unexciting but heaven is glimpsed on the approach and exit”. The valley is drained by Boredale Beck which rises on the slopes of Angletarn Pikes
at height of 500 metres and flows northerly for five km to its confluence with Howegrain Beck, the main water course of the Martindale
valley.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England, it is situated within the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
National Park. The valley is close to the eastern shore of Ullswater
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
and lies between the hills of Place Fell
Place Fell
Place Fell is a hill in the English Lake District. It stands at the corner of the upper and middle reaches of Ullswater, with steep western flanks overlooking the villages of Glenridding and Patterdale.-Topography:...
to the west and Beda Fell
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:...
to the east.
Boredale runs in a northerly direction for a distance of 4.5 km from its head at Boredale Hause
Boredale Hause
Boredale Hause is a mountain pass between Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes in the east of the English Lake District. It links the Patterdale and Boredale valleys. There is a large confusion of paths on the hause, which is largely grassy....
to its convergence with the valley of Martindale
Martindale, Cumbria
Martindale is a valley and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated within the Lake District National Park between the lakes of Ullswater and Haweswater...
. It is a thinly populated valley with the structures of Garth Heads, Howsteadbrow, Nettleslack and Boredale Head being the only inhabited buildings in the valley. The traditional stone and slate Nettleslack cottage dates from 1756, it was modernised in 1997 and is now rented out as holiday accommodation. There is a narrow tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
road which runs up the valley for 2.5 km until it reaches the farm of Boredale Head, from here the road becomes a bridleway
Bridle path
A bridle path is a thoroughfare originally made for horses, but which these days serves a wide range of interests, including hikers, walkers and cyclists as well as equestrians. The laws relating to permissions vary from country to country...
which climbs up on to the fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
s and reaches Boredale Hause at a height of 399 metres. Footpaths also leave the valley at the farm buildings of Garths Head and climb the hillsides to reach the summits of Place Fell and Beda Fell.
The name of the valley means “valley with the herdman's hut or storehouse”, the linguistic source of this uncertain, coming either from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word bur or the Old English word bir. In the year 1250 the valley was known as Burdal. Renowned Lake District writers William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
both used the incorrect spelling and usage of “Boardale” believing that it referred to pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s. Wainwright in his book “In The Valleys Of Lakeland” refers to Boredale as “unexciting but heaven is glimpsed on the approach and exit”. The valley is drained by Boredale Beck which rises on the slopes of Angletarn Pikes
Angletarn Pikes
Angletarn Pikes, is a fell in the English Lake District, near the village of Patterdale. Its most notable feature is the summit tarn from which it derives its name.-Topography:...
at height of 500 metres and flows northerly for five km to its confluence with Howegrain Beck, the main water course of the Martindale
Martindale, Cumbria
Martindale is a valley and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated within the Lake District National Park between the lakes of Ullswater and Haweswater...
valley.