Family things to do in Borrowdale and Derwent Water

Extended family with small children playing near the beck at Ashness bridge on a sunny autumn day — Playing near Ashness Bridge on a sunny autumn day | © National Trust Images / Arnhel de Serra

With its gentle lakeshore walks, paths through the rainforest and fellsides to explore, the Borrowdale valley has plenty to capture young imaginations. Find out more about how to plan a day out with the whole family.

Planning your family visit

The Borrowdale valley has many options for the perfect day out in nature. Whether you prefer staying close to town, being down by the lakeshore, heading into the woodlands or taking in some views on a fellside hike, start your day in one of our many car parks and follow your feet.

There are toilets at the lakeshore car park (not National Trust) as well as at Seatoller and Rosthwaite car parks.
There are plenty of cafes and pubs in Keswick and you can get drinks, cakes and ice cream on the lakeshore at the Moon and Sixpence where a portion of proceeds go to the National Trust. If you venture further down the valley, you will find farmhouse cafes including Seatoller farm where you can purchase their famous stone oven pizzas on Saturdays.
There are car parks throughout the valley to start your Borrowdale adventure. Find which one is nearest to your chosen adventure or plan to stop at a few different places to catch more of what the valley has to offer.
Spend some time at Crow Park where there is plenty of room to run and play or settle down for a picnic lunch with a view.
There is an accessible path along Derwent Water from Crow Park, perfect for a leisurely stroll with a push chair.

The Bowderstone

Children of all ages are fascinated with rocks and the massive bulk of the Bowder Stone sitting lonely in a wooded landscape is sure to peak their curiosity. An easy 15 minute walk from the car park, it's a great place to have a family adventure. Spend some time marvelling at the stone itself, become king of the castle by climbing to the top using the staircase or find the little hole underneath which lets you shake hands under its great bulk. Can you guess how it got there? Think up the most most fanciful ways a stone that size could have come to lay there, stories of long gone giants may spring to mind.

Make sure you bring a picnic and share a lovely al-fresco meal on one of our picnic tables.

Crow Park

With the town of Keswick cozied up behind, Crow park is the perfect, easy access spot to spend the day by the lakeside. Plenty of grass to run around with a kite or football, or to maybe just bring a book and lay on a blanket. Try your hand at skimming stones and see how many of the surrounding fells you can name. This is also the starting point for our accessible trails which will take you into cockshot wood and along the east side of Derwent Water to Friar's crag and beyond.

Please remember that there are sometimes sheep grazing here so you might see some of Cumbria's iconic Herdwicks smiling back at you. Remember to always keep dogs on leads near livestock.

Picnic perfect

There are plenty of perfect picnic spots to choose from when heading to Borrowdale and Derwent Water. You will find picnic tables at Great Wood and at the Bowderstone and there are plenty of benches along the Derwent Water shore from Crow Park. If you dont mind bringing a picnic blanket or finding a stone or log to sit, Ashness bridge or surprise view are great spots for a moments rest while refueling and they are just a few steps from our car park. During the summer months, you might also catch a local mobile cafe selling drinks and cakes to supplement your meal or just for a quick pick-me-up. If you're looking for a short walk with a lunch stop, take in our Thorneythwaite farm picnic and waterfall walk.

A family walks through the oak woodland in Borrowdale on a sunny autumn day — Enjoying a walk in the Borrowdale rainforest | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Great Wood

Looking for a rainforest adventure? Head to Great Wood where you will find a lush green forest waiting to be explored. Choose a path down by the lake where you can skim stones along the shore and maybe get your feet wet splashing about. Look out for little bridges over flowing becks where you might spot little wetland creatures. You might pick a more rugged route rising towards Ashness with giant old oak trees and masterful beech with their knarled trunks covered in mosses and lichens.

Make sure to stop and look up at the canopy overhead, stay as quiet as you can and see how many woodland sounds you can hear. Wind rustling through leaves, birds singing in the tree tops, maybe a red squirrel scurrying around looking for acorns. Spending time among the trees is a great way to relax, especially for young excitable minds, with studies showing it to reduce stress and increase focus and wellbeing.

'50 things to do before you’re 11¾'

What better way to spend your day than trying new activities from the list of '50 things to do before you’re 11¾'? Borrowdale and Derwent Water is a great place to become an explorer and you can do lots of the '50 things' activities here throughout the year.

Here's just a few ideas to get you started:

No. 1 Get to know a tree: Which one will you choose? Step into the rainforest and find a tree dripping with mosses and lichen, can you spot any tiny creatures living in this miniature jungle?
No. 5 Skim a stone: Find the perfect skimming stone on your walk around Derwent Water and see how many times you can get it to jump across the surface.
No. 44 Watch a bird: To be a successful bird watcher, you'll need to be as quiet as a mouse while you keep a look out for our feathered friends. Listen to them singing in the trees, can you spot them as they hop from branch to branch?