The head of Borrowdale seen from a rocky outcrop with the valley opening below

The Borrowdale valley

Ten miles from the shore of Derwentwater up to the highest ground in England, through the Jaws of Borrowdale and out into the pastures at the head of the valley.

One of the most idyllic places on earth

The Borrowdale valley runs for some ten miles from the high fells — 977-metre Scafell Pike is the highest summit — down to the shores of Derwentwater.

Some four miles from Keswick, past the impressive Lodore Falls, is the small and attractive village of Grange in Borrowdale, reached over a striking two-arched bridge and a popular stopping place for a picnic or a cafe. The church of the Holy Trinity dates from 1861.

A river winding along the flat floor of Borrowdale between steep green fells

The Jaws of Borrowdale

From Grange the valley narrows into the spectacular Jaws of Borrowdale, with the road and the paths squeezed together into a gorge.

Then, with dramatic suddenness, the scene changes to rich pasture bordered by drystone walls, spread across a flat valley floor — and the wide panorama of mountains around the head of Borrowdale is revealed in all its majesty. All of it lies within half an hour of Keswick.

The villages in the valley

  • The river running past the cottages and gardens of Grange in Borrowdale

    Grange in Borrowdale

    Four miles from Keswick over the double-arched bridge, with a cafe, a tea garden and the church of the Holy Trinity.

    Tea and cakes

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  • Large stepping stones crossing a shallow river between wooded banks

    Rosthwaite

    Surrounded by magnificent fells, with good pubs and hotels, and the start of the walk over Puddingstone Bank to Watendlath.

    Walks from the door

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  • The white farmhouses of Stonethwaite in green pasture below a long bracken fell

    Stonethwaite

    A village school, the beautiful but tiny St Andrew’s Church, and an idyllic campsite at the mouth of the Langstrath valley.

    Camping

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  • The narrow street through Seatoller between old cottages hung with flowers

    Seatoller

    At the foot of the Honister Pass, with commanding views of the Borrowdale fells and the road over to Buttermere.

    Head of the valley

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Getting up the valley

  • The Borrowdale Rambler

    Runs the length of the valley all year. Take the open-top bus from Keswick to Grange, Rosthwaite or Seatoller for tea and cakes, and ride back — no rambling required.

    Bus times and routes

  • A day rider ticket

    Covers both the Borrowdale and Honister Rambler routes, so you can get on and off as much as you like all day — out one way and back the other over Honister.

  • By launch

    The bus links with the Derwentwater launches at the lakeside jetties, so the journey up the valley can start on the water.

    Derwentwater launches

  • Bus out, walk back

    Leave the bus at Rosthwaite and walk over Puddingstone Bank to Watendlath, or climb Castle Crag — the smallest fell in Wainwright, and the best view of the Jaws.

    Watendlath
A shallow river running over pale cobbles between wooded banks

Climbing in Borrowdale

Borrowdale is one of the most popular places to rock climb in the Lake District, because it has a lot of low-level, fast-drying crags that are easily reached from the road.

Three classic routes: Little Chamonix on Shepherd’s Crag, Gillercombe Buttress on Gillercombe, and Troutdale Pinnacle on Black Crag.

Find somewhere to stay

The other valleys