Things to see and do in Borrowdale

Blossoms in the valley

From late April well into May, the crab apple orchards at Thorneythwaite are filled with blossom, adding colour and fragrance to your springtime walk. Over the winter, our rangers planted more crab apples on the site from the same strain that has grown there for generations. As with many other sites under our care, this has been done to increase the area of blossom for our pollinators and for all our visitors to enjoy.

Another star of the season is the bluebell with its vast carpets of blue and violet which can be found in the woodlands of Borrowdale. The perfect backdrop to any family photo, these native flowers are as delicate as they are enchanting so please stick to the paths and tread lightly as they will not survive a misplaced step. Under the canopy of trees, you might also be enticed by the smell of wild garlic and their show of tiny white blooms.

Hedgerows are another important source of blossom and hint at a summer bounty for wildlife and people alike. Hawthorn, blackthorn, elder and rowan are just some of the typical flowering hedgerow species you will find growing along farmers fields and pathways throughout Borrowdale. 

The Bowder Stone

The Bowder Stone is an easy 15-minute walk from the car park along wide undulating paths and is the Lake District National Park’s Miles Without Stiles route number 35. It’s right in the 'Jaws of Borrowdale' – the narrow point where the road winds beneath overhanging crags.

This house-sized boulder has come to rest improbably on one edge and has been a natural tourist attraction in the lakes since Georgian times as you can climb up its ladder.

As you walk up to touch it, you feel the enormous bulk of it looming over your head, giving a taste of that ‘pleasurable terror’ which was so popular with Georgian tourists who enjoyed wild, romantic scenery and the frisson of experiencing danger from a safe distance.

The Jaws of Borrowdale

Above Grange Bridge, Borrowdale is constricted between the steep slopes of Kings How and Castle Crag. Carved by ice, and eroded through thousands of years, this narrowing is popularly known as ‘the Jaws of Borrowdale’.

The dramatic name was coined by early visitors to the valley, who found cliffs towering above the road, and the river rushing just beneath, an exhilarating thrill.

The road and river twist and turn around the crags at this point, vying with each other for the minimal flat ground at the valley bottom. The native Atlantic oakwood adds to the intimate, 'enclosed' atmosphere.

Castle Crag: the teeth in the Jaws of Borrowdale

Castle Crag, one of the pointed jagged 'teeth' in the jaws offers a few choices for exploring the area which Wainwright called 'the loveliest square mile in Lakeland'.

The 5-mile (8km) walk from the car park at Seatoller is less demanding than it first appears and its summit at 290m (950 feet) gives unparalleled views both over Derwent Water to Skiddaw to the north, or to upper Borrowdale and Great End to the south with Glaramara and Great End rising towards the high central fells of the Scafell Massif.

Taste along with Wainwright podcast

In this podcast, we follow Wainwright's route up Castle Crag, with a few extra surprises along the way. In our first 'taste along' episode, Ranger Kate Martin and her mystery guest experience a Lake District walk in an intriguing new way. Give it a go and listen here.

Rosthwaite, Seatoller, Seathwaite and Scafell Pike

After the jaws of Borrowdale, the valley opens up again revealing the pattern of valley-bottom farm fields and drystone walls that surround the farming villages and hamlets.

Rosthwaite

Rosthwaite, the ‘capital’ of Borrowdale, has a small car park which is a good starting place for walking the wide pack-horse bridleways up to Castle Crag, or up to Watendlath. The pack-horse route from Watendlath used to be the main road into the valley before the Borrowdale road was built in the early 20th century.

A low-level alternative is the path that meanders gently beside the River Derwent from Rosthwaite to Grange and back.

Seatoller

The hamlet of Seatoller perches right at the foot of the Honister Pass. The car park there is a good starting point for walking to Castle Crag, doing circular walks across the valley-bottom fields of Thorneythwaite or heading up Combe Gill towards the summit of Glaramara.

Seathwaite and Scafell Pike

A fork in the road leads to Seathwaite, where the road stops. This tiny hamlet is the wettest inhabited place in England. Here the footpaths start to Sty Head Tarn, Scafell Pike and Great Gable.

Honister Pass

Perched at the top of Honister Pass, the car park (350m or 1,150 feet above sea level) is a great place to pause as you drive the steep and narrow road up from Seatoller. Watch the scenery change as you leave the wooded valley of Borrowdale behind you and take in the wild fell views as you head over the top of this mountain pass and down into Buttermere.

On a sunny day you can see the top of Glaramara but even when the cloud comes down it can be a dramatic and eerie spot as the fell tops disappear and re-emerge. Remember to check road conditions before heading up during cold weather.

Farming landscape

The pattern of farming hamlets surrounded by valley-bottom fields and drystone walls is part of the cultural heritage of the Lake District World Heritage Site. The thicker the walls, the older they are.

The hardy Herdwick sheep are also part of the cultural heritage of the Lake District – the farmers who breed them take pride in raising livestock that embody the knowledge and experience passed down from generation to generation. We’re working with National Trust tenant farmers to help them adapt to the pressures of climate change while keeping their heritage alive.