Lake District · Borrowdale

Borrowdale

Follow the River Derwent into one of England's rare temperate rainforests, past ancient yews, historic packhorse paths, tiny farming villages and the extraordinary Bowder Stone before the valley closes beneath some of the highest mountains in England.

Explore the map Things to do Walking ideas
Temperate rainforest Bowder Stone Rosthwaite Castle Crag Ancient yews Mountain walking
Why Borrowdale

A valley worth exploring rather than simply driving through

Borrowdale begins at the southern end of Derwentwater and runs deep into the central fells. Many visitors pass through on their way towards Honister or Scafell Pike, but the valley deserves considerably more time than that.

Its floor contains farming hamlets such as Grange, Rosthwaite, Seatoller and Seathwaite, while the surrounding slopes carry remnants of one of Britain's rarest natural environments: temperate rainforest.

Human stories are layered into the landscape too. Norse settlers left their language behind in place names, packhorse routes crossed the fells long before modern roads, quarrymen worked slate from the mountains and generations of farmers created the walls and enclosed fields that still define the valley.

Borrowdale also works for very different visitors. Families can follow riverside paths and visit the Bowder Stone; wildlife watchers can explore ancient woodland; walkers can climb Castle Crag; experienced mountain travellers can continue towards Great Gable, Glaramara and Scafell Pike.

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Things to do Rainforest, river, stones and villages.
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Local history Norse settlers, quarrymen and old routes.
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Stay in the valley Choose Keswick convenience or rural quiet.
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Walk Borrowdale From riverside paths to mountain days.
Explore Borrowdale

The valley changes character as you travel south

Start around Grange and the Bowder Stone, explore Rosthwaite at the heart of the valley, then continue towards Seatoller, Seathwaite and the mountain passes beyond.

Places to stay

Stay in Borrowdale or use Keswick as your base

Rosthwaite and Seatoller suit visitors who want countryside and walking from the door. Keswick offers considerably more restaurants, shops and wet-weather options while remaining close enough for day trips into the valley.

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Borrowdale highlights

Reasons to leave the main road

Borrowdale's best experiences are spread throughout the valley, so allow time to stop rather than treating the road between Keswick and Honister as the attraction.

Natural landmark

The Bowder Stone

A vast boulder balanced improbably on one edge beneath King's How. Georgian visitors came here for the thrill of wild scenery, and a ladder still allows visitors to climb onto the top.

Rare habitat

Borrowdale rainforest

Borrowdale contains one of England's largest remaining areas of temperate rainforest, where oak and birch grow among deep carpets of mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns.

Village

Rosthwaite

Often described as the heart of Borrowdale, Rosthwaite sits among enclosed fields beside the River Derwent and provides an excellent base for both low-level walks and Castle Crag.

Small mountain

Castle Crag

A distinctive rocky summit above the valley with views towards Derwentwater. Its summit combines Iron Age history, old quarry workings and a memorial to Borrowdale men lost in the First World War.

Ancient trees

Borrowdale Yews

Ancient yews near Seathwaite are believed to be more than 1,500 years old. William Wordsworth celebrated the group in his poem Yew-Trees.

Local character

Millican Dalton's Cave

The self-styled “Professor of Adventure” spent many summers living in caves above the River Derwent during the first half of the 20th century, guiding visitors and embracing an unconventional outdoor life.

Hamlet

Seatoller

Seatoller sits beneath Honister Pass at the southern end of the inhabited valley and is a useful starting point for Castle Crag, Glaramara and ancient packhorse routes into the central fells.

Mountain gateway

Seathwaite

A working farming hamlet beneath some of England's highest mountains and a traditional starting point for routes towards Sty Head, Great Gable and Scafell Pike.

Hidden valley

Watendlath

A tiny settlement and tarn in a hanging valley above Borrowdale, reached by a steep scenic road or old walking routes that once provided important communication across the fells.

Stories of Borrowdale

Thousands of years are still visible in the valley

Borrowdale's walls, trees, quarries, paths and place names make more sense once you understand how long people have been travelling through and working this landscape.

Ancient landscape

Castle Crag before tourism

Castle Crag contains evidence of an Iron Age hillfort, showing that Borrowdale was occupied and strategically important long before the modern villages and roads appeared.

Norse Cumbria

The language survived

Borrowdale's place names preserve Scandinavian influence. The National Trust traces Borrowdale to Norse roots meaning roughly “valley of the fort”, while endings such as “thwaite” reflect woodland clearings created for settlement and grazing.

Working woodland

The rainforest was never untouched

Borrowdale's oakwoods are ancient but also cultural landscapes. Timber was historically coppiced for fuel, building and industries including tanning, while farming continued around the woodland edges.

Georgian tourism

The Bowder Stone became a spectacle

Visitors in the 18th and early 19th centuries came seeking the fashionable thrill of sublime scenery. Joseph Pocklington added a ladder, a caretaker's hermitage and other theatrical touches to the Bowder Stone experience.

20th century

The Professor of Adventure

Millican Dalton rejected conventional life and spent decades returning to Borrowdale each summer. His cave, inscriptions and stories give the valley one of its most unusual modern characters.

War memorial

Castle Crag remembers Borrowdale

After the First World War, Castle Crag was given to the National Trust as a memorial to 2nd Lieutenant John Hamer and the men of Borrowdale who died in the conflict.

Suggested days

Four ways to explore Borrowdale

1–2 hours

Bowder Stone & woodland

  1. Start from Bowder Stone
  2. Follow the woodland track
  3. Visit the giant boulder
  4. Climb the ladder if conditions suit
  5. Slow down for mosses, ferns and woodland
2–3 hours

Rosthwaite riverside

  1. Begin in Rosthwaite
  2. Follow the River Derwent
  3. Cross the old valley bridges
  4. Detour towards Millican Dalton's Cave
  5. Return through fields and village lanes
Half to full day

Castle Crag

  1. Start from Rosthwaite or Seatoller
  2. Follow valley and woodland paths
  3. Climb through old quarry workings
  4. Visit the summit memorial
  5. Return beside the River Derwent
Mountain day

Seatoller to Sty Head

  1. Begin around Seatoller or Seathwaite
  2. Follow ancient mountain routes
  3. Climb beside Grains Gill
  4. Reach tarn and high-fell country
  5. Return only with suitable conditions and equipment
Plan the visit

Borrowdale is unusually easy to explore without moving the car all day

The valley is served from Keswick by the 78 bus, which gives visitors useful access to places including Grange, Rosthwaite and Seatoller. That makes one-way and linear walks much easier to organise.

By train Penrith is the main rail gateway, with onward transport through Keswick.
By bus Route 78 currently links Keswick with the Borrowdale valley.
Parking National Trust parking is available at several valley locations including Bowder Stone, Rosthwaite and Seatoller.
Accessible option The approach from Bowder Stone car park includes an accessible track towards the landmark.
A wider northern-Lakes experience

See the northern mountains from another perspective

Borrowdale has more than enough substance on the ground, so this remains a separate premium option for a longer northern Lake District stay.

Northern Lake District

Northern Lakes helicopter flight

Visitors staying around Borrowdale and Keswick can also consider the northern Lake District helicopter experiences operating from Kirkbride, adding an aerial perspective to the wider landscape.

Explore Northern Lakes Flights Flights do not depart from Borrowdale. Exact routes and visible landmarks vary according to the flight booked, weather, visibility, air traffic and operational requirements.
Keep exploring

Borrowdale connects Derwentwater with Buttermere and the high central fells

Return north towards Derwentwater and Keswick, cross Honister Pass towards Buttermere, or stay within Borrowdale and explore the quieter hamlets and rainforest before considering the higher mountains.

Derwentwater Buttermere Keswick Lake District Guide