Seatoller

Where is Seatoller?

Seatoller near Keswick, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore.

Why visit Seatoller?

Seatoller is a base camp, plain and simple — the closest you can stay or park to some of the finest high fells in Lakeland. Great Gable, Glaramara, Base Brown and, via Seathwaite and Styhead, Scafell Pike by the Corridor Route are all on the doorstep, and Honister with its slate mine and the route over to Buttermere is minutes up the pass. Add the historic Yew Tree pub, the ancient Atlantic oakwoods of the Borrowdale "rainforest", and the sheer scenery at the head of the valley, and it earns its place even for a short visit.

What it isn't is a place with shops or much going on — that's the point. Plan around the small car park (it fills early) and the wet weather, and you've got one of the great walkers' corners of England.

Things to do

• The Yew Tree — the one pub, and a destination in itself (see Food & drink); a fine end to a fell day.
• The fells — Seatoller is first and foremost a launchpad; the big walks below start from here or nearby Seathwaite.
• Honister Pass & Slate Mine — drive or walk up the dramatic pass to the working slate mine, with its mine tours and via ferrata, then on toward Buttermere.
• The Borrowdale rainforest — the valley's Atlantic oakwoods are a National Nature Reserve, among the best temperate rainforest in England — lovely, mossy, wet-weather walking.
• The stroll to Seathwaite — a flat mile up the side valley to the famous (wettest) hamlet and the start of the Scafell Pike paths.

Walks & fells from Seatoller

Few places pack in this much big walking:

• Great Gable, Green Gable and Base Brown — the Gable group, climbed from Seathwaite via Styhead or Sourmilk Gill.
• Glaramara — the classic knobbly ridge rising straight from the head of Borrowdale.
• Scafell Pike — England's highest, by the airy Corridor Route from Seathwaite and Styhead Tarn.
• Seathwaite Fell — the modest Wainwright above the wettest hamlet, with a grandstand view of the Gables.
• Over Honister: Dale Head and the Newlands/Buttermere skyline from the top of the pass.

Check the live "Best Fells today" conditions before you set off — these are serious, high fells. The Fells & walks nearby box below lists the closest summits with a full guide.

Fells & walks near Seatoller

• Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot 551 m · 1.8 km
• Castle Crag 290 m · 2.2 km
• Great Crag (Stonethwaite) 449 m · 2.6 km
• High Spy 653 m · 2.7 km
• Dale Head 754 m · 2.7 km
• Grey Knotts 697 m · 3.0 km

Straight-line distances from the centre of Seatoller — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.

All walks from Seatoller → — every route and fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.

Where to stay

In the hamlet itself, Seatoller House is a characterful 400-year-old guesthouse (a guest house for over a century), much loved by walkers and dog owners, with home cooking and its own parking. Nearby down the valley at Longthwaite is Borrowdale YHA (the hostel for this end of the valley — note it's not actually in Seatoller), and there are farms, cottages and campsites around Seathwaite and Borrowdale, many dog-friendly. Book ahead — there's very little of it.

Food & drink

The Yew Tree is the heart of the hamlet — one of Cumbria's oldest pubs, dating to 1628, reopened in recent years after a long closure and now thriving (it was named CAMRA Pub of the Season in summer 2025). Expect a cosy Lakeland bar, a beer garden and good food with a modern twist — and check opening days before a special trip, as it's a small operation. Beyond the Yew Tree there's no shop in Seatoller, so stock up in Keswick or self-cater.

Getting there & parking

Seatoller sits about eight miles south of Keswick on the B5289 up Borrowdale, at the foot of Honister Pass. There's no railway station. The best way to come is the 78 Borrowdale bus from Keswick (Seatoller is near the top of the route), with the seasonal open-top 77/77A Honister Rambler looping over the pass. If you drive, the National Trust pay-&-display car park is the main walkers' car park for this end of the valley (free to NT members) — it's busy on fine days and daytime only, so arrive early or take the bus, and don't plan to park overnight.

Practical & nearby

It's excellent dog-walking country; facilities are minimal (no shop), so use Keswick. Easy outings from Seatoller take in Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite just down the valley, Grange-in-Borrowdale and the Bowder Stone, Honister Slate Mine and the pass over to Buttermere, and back down to Keswick and Derwentwater.

Events & festivals

Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Seatoller — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.