Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately 9 miles
(14.5 kilometres) long and 0.75 miles (1200 metres) wide with an average depth of around 200 feet (60 metres).
Many people regard Ullswater as the most beautiful of the English lakes it has been compared to the superb
Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. It is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age
when a glacier scooped out the valley floor, the deepened section filled with melt water when the glacier retreated,
and it became a lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of an elongated "Z" giving it three separate
segments (or "reaches") which wend their way through the surrounding hills.
Overlooking UllswaterThe origin of the name "Ullswater" is uncertain. Some say it comes from the name of the
Nordic chief Ulf who ruled over the area; however, there was a Saxon Lord of Greystoke called Ulphus whose land
came down to the lake shore. The lake may have been named Ulf's Water in honour of either of these. Alternatively,
it may be named after the Norse god Ullr, also known as Ull.
