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13.09 km · ~802 m ascent · ~4–5.5 h · loop · 3 summits

Home / Routes / The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)
Severe steepnessLoopPlanned

The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)

13.09 km
Distance
~4–5.5 h
Typical time
~802 m
Ascent
3
Summits
Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Key facts

Distance 13.09 km
Ascent ~802 m
Descent ~800 m
Time ~4–5.5 h
Best season Late spring to autumn, in clear, dry weather. This is emphatically a fine-weather round.
Type Loop
Start Rosthwaite
A wild, little-trodden round of the rough Borrowdale fells above Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite — Bessyboot, Dovenest Top and Thornythwaite Fell — a maze of rocky knolls, hidden tarns and peat hags with huge views to the Scafells. Quiet and full of character, but pathless and boggy: a fair-weather fell day, not a wet-day plod.

✎️ One of the quietest corners of Borrowdale — but pathless, boggy and easy to lose your way. A round for a clear, dry day with the map out, not a wet or misty one.

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Difficulty profile

LengthModerate13.09 km round.
SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 50% around the 3.1 km mark.
TerrainHardBoggy, tussocky and pathless in stretches; slow, and much worse after rain.
NavigationHardFaint or absent paths through a maze of knolls and hags — genuinely hard in poor visibility. Fine-weather round only.
ExposureModerateRocky knolls and the odd crag (Dove Nest) — no sustained exposure on the walkers’ line.

Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →

Daylight & turnaround

By bus: the Borrowdale Bus (78) reaches Rosthwaite at 08:33 and the last one back leaves at 20:05. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 13:49. Be off Thornythwaite Fell by 18:15. Runs daily, including public holidays. From the summer 2026 timetable, read on 21 Aug 2026. Check the timetable before you rely on it.

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 90 m to 766 m over 13.1 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 250 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 766 m 90 m 0 km 13.1 km 123

1 Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot2 Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)3 Thornythwaite Fell

Easy 65%Moderate 22%Hard 8%Severe 5%

~802 m
Total ascent
766 m
High point
90 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 13.09 km with around 802 m of ascent, taking in 3 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Mostly gates
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
  • Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~32% drop around the 9.4 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 13 gates · 4 stiles (type unmapped)

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-12. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
1Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot4.2 km448 m1:35–2:07
2Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)6.1 km607 m2:14–2:58
3Thornythwaite Fell9.2 km787 m3:09–4:11
Finish13.1 km802 m3:57–5:16

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.

The walk, stage by stage

  1. 1

    Start → Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot (4.2 km, 448 m)

    Climb of about 448 m over 4.2 km (around 11% average).

    Starting from the valley floor near Seatoller or Rosthwaite, the route immediately tackles the steep, eastern valley walls. The ascent is a rugged, 11% average pull. You climb through ancient, moss-draped oak woodland before breaking the tree line onto the open, craggy fellside. The path here is a rough, rocky trod weaving through thick heather and bracken, demanding high steps and occasional use of hands over rock steps as you gain the sprawling summit plateau of Rosthwaite Fell, aiming for its Wainwright summit, Bessyboot

    Waypoints

    Valley Start Point: Rosthwaite / Stonethwaite valley floor (approx. NY 258 148). The Intake Wall: The boundary separating the valley pastures from the open fell. Tarn at Leaves: A beautiful, prominent body of water nestled just below the summit. Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot (550 m): The Wainwright summit, a distinct rocky outcrop overlooking the valley

    Decision point

    Water Catchment: Tarn at Leaves is your ultimate catch feature. Bessyboot sits immediately adjacent to it. If you hit the tarn, you have found the summit. Handrails: Drystone walls on the lower enclosed sections funnel you toward the open fell gate

    Easy to get wrong

    Bracken Jungle: In late summer, the lower slopes below the intake wall are swallowed by head-high bracken. This hides the faint trods, masks uneven ground, and conceals slippery tree roots. Scrambling Steps: There are several short, polished rock steps on the ascent that require hands. In wet weather, this Borrowdale volcanic rock becomes exceptionally slick. False Summits: The climb up the fellside is heavily terraced. You will crest several rocky lips thinking you have reached the plateau, only to find another steep wall ahead

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: The safest descent is carefully reversing your ascent path back to the valley floor. Trap: Do NOT attempt to bail east off the plateau down into the Langstrath valley. The eastern flanks of Rosthwaite Fell are fiercely steep, defended by impenetrable crags, and heavily bluffed out

  2. 2

    Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot → Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell) (1.8 km, 159 m)

    Climb of about 159 m over 1.8 km (around 9% average).

    You now enter the true labyrinth of the central Borrowdale Fells. Heading south from Bessyboot, the route requires weaving through a bewildering micro-topography of rocky pikes, heather-choked depressions, and small, unnamed tarns. The 9% gradient is highly irregular—you will constantly lose and regain height as you negotiate the hummocky terrain toward the rocky summit of Dovenest Top

    Waypoints

    The Hummocks: The chaotic, glacially-scoured plateau south of Tarn at Leaves. Combe Door: The dramatic, craggy gap at the head of the Combe Gill hanging valley. Dovenest Top / Dovenest Crag (632 m): A rugged Birkett perched above the Langstrath drop

    Decision point

    Line of Sight: In clear weather, link the prominent rocky outcrops visually. Handrails: Keep the dramatic plunge of the Combe Gill hanging valley strictly on your right (west) as you traverse south

    Easy to get wrong

    Micro-Navigation: This is one of the hardest places in the Lakes to navigate in thick mist. Every rocky knoll looks identical, and the myriad of small tarns and bogs will force you off a direct compass bearing. Terrain: The ground is exceptionally rough. Deep heather hides boot-swallowing holes, and the rock slabs are treacherous in the wet

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: Due to the complex terrain, bailing directly from the plateau is highly dangerous. You must retrace your steps north back to Tarn at Leaves and descend via the Stage 1 route. Trap: Bailing east into Langstrath or west directly into Combe Gill from this high plateau will strand you in lethal, vertical crag territory

  3. 3

    Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell) → Thornythwaite Fell (3.1 km, 180 m)

    Climb of about 180 m over 3.1 km (around 6% average).

    This stage forms the head of the horseshoe, swinging west and then north to cross from the eastern ridge to the western ridge of the Combe Gill valley. You must navigate the rough, boggy high ground near Combe Head before linking up with the northern spur of Thornythwaite Fell. The 6% average ascent is deceptive, masked by deep peat hags and undulating rocky steps

    Waypoints

    Combe Head (approx. 735 m): The high, craggy rim connecting the two sides of the horseshoe. The Western Ridge: The high ground dropping north off the Glaramara massif. Thornythwaite Fell Summit (approx. 525 m): A minor, rocky Birkett marking the start of the final northern ridge

    Decision point

    The Valley Rim: The massive drop of Combe Gill is now on your right (east). Following the rim of this valley will naturally guide you around the horseshoe. Compass Bearings: If the cloud drops, you must rely on pacing and strict bearings to cross the Combe Head plateau without drifting south onto the main Glaramara massif

    Easy to get wrong

    Bogs: The saddle areas behind Combe Head are deeply rutted with peat hags. Prepare for heavy, energy-sapping detours around black bogs. Mental Fatigue: The constant requirement to evaluate the terrain—choosing between climbing over a rocky knoll or wading through a bog to skirt it—is mentally exhausting on tired legs

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: Pushing forward to Thornythwaite Fell is generally safer than reversing the chaotic terrain back to Bessyboot. Trap: Do not bail south towards Glaramara unless you intend to extend the walk significantly; it takes you further away from the valley start points

  4. Thornythwaite Fell → Finish (3.9 km, 16 m)

    Descent of about 472 m over 3.9 km.

    A sustained, often punishing descent off the northern nose of Thornythwaite Fell. The route leaves the rocky high ground and plunges down a steep, grassy spur. As you lose elevation, the path merges with muddy, heavily eroded agricultural tracks that lead you through the lower woodland and back to the valley floor roads

    Waypoints

    Thornythwaite Northern Spur: The steep grassy descent line. Intake / Woodland Boundary: The transition from open fell back into enclosed farmland. Valley Track: The flat walk-out along the River Derwent or associated farm lanes. Start/Finish Point: Seatoller / Rosthwaite valley floor

    Decision point

    Visual Targeting: The valley floor, the meandering River Derwent, and the hamlets of Seatoller and Rosthwaite are clearly visible below you for the entirety of the descent in good weather. Handrails: Once off the steep open fell, drystone walls will funnel you directly down to the valley road

    Easy to get wrong

    Knee-Pounding Descent: The gradient off the front of Thornythwaite Fell is severe. The fell grass is extremely slick after rain, making a slip highly likely. Trekking poles are highly recommended to save your joints. Mud: The final sections through the enclosed woodland and farm gates are heavily churned by livestock and walkers, resulting in deep, unavoidable mud pits

    If you need to get off

    Retreat: This stage is the primary escape route off the western side of the horseshoe. Stick strictly to the crest of the northern spur. Trap: Do not allow yourself to drift off the spur to the East (right-hand side on the descent) into Combe Gill, as the sides of the gill are heavily defended by crags and dense, pathless woodland. Stay on the spine of the ridge until you reach the valley floor

Summits bagged (3)

  1. 1Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot551 mSouthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
  2. 2Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell)633 mSouthern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall
  3. 3Thornythwaite Fell574 mSouthern · Birkett, Synge

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Getting there & parking

Great Crag, west car park (paid) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Castle Crag, King's How - Grange Fell, Grange Fell (Brund Fell) and Great Crag (Stonethwaite) — the 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag' route starts 10 m away. Also serves 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)'.
Directions Something changed here?
Great Crag car park (paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Dovenest Top (Dovenest Crag) (Stonethwaite Fell), Thornythwaite Fell and Castle Crag — the 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)' route starts 174 m away. Also serves 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Rosthwaite (NT, paid) — 0.4 km from the start (straight line)
Village car park for the central Borrowdale fells and Watendlath ridge. Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked Aug 2026). The National Trust does not allow overnight parking here (NT, checked Aug 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Stonethwaite (roadside, limited) (1.8 km); Quay Foot Quarry, Borrowdale (NT, paid) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (1.8 km)
🚺 Rosthwaite Village (~389 m straight line) — Free · Accessible☕ The Flock-in
Great Crag, south-west (layby) — 0.9 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 59 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Great Crag (layby) — 1.0 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Lining Crag, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag — the 'Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag' route starts 17 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Water, shelter & getting away

💧 possible water source (4 m)🛖 map (7 m)🚌 General Store (N bound) (92 m)🚌 General Store (S bound) (109 m)🚌 Howe Lane End (S bound) (317 m)🚌 Howe Lane End (N bound) (318 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

Buses

The 77 stops at Rosthwaite General Store (near), 220 m from this start. The last bus is 20:05 towards Keswick (78), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

The 77 passes this route at 0.1 km (Rosthwaite General Store (near), 10 m off the line).

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

If the parking is full

If the first one is full, these do not all fill together. The 3 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.

  • Rosthwaite (NT, paid)
  • Stonethwaite (roadside, limited)
  • Rosthwaite Fell car park (paid)

Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.

When the sun reaches the tops

Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later. The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.

  • Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.

Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.

Safety & conditions

  • Paths are faint or absent for much of this round, through a confusing maze of knolls, hags and hollows. Only attempt it in good visibility — in cloud or mist the navigation here is genuinely hard and it’s easy to get lost. Carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them.
  • Boggy, tussocky and rough underfoot — slow going, and much worse after rain. Save it for a dry spell.
  • A committing round with little quick escape — start early and allow more time than the distance suggests.
  • Livestock on the lower fields; keep dogs under close control.

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

Make it easier or harder

Short version: turn back at about 4.9 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Seatoller House B&B guest house

about 1.6 km from the start, in a straight line

Two named family rooms (Rabbit and Stag), both large with a private bathroom opposite, plus a dog policy precise enough to plan around — dogs in, but never in the dining room and dried off at the back door. The catch is timing: breakfast runs 8.00–8.30 only, which is late for a long Ullscarf day, and dinner is a single 7pm sitting that must be pre-booked 48 hours ahead if you did not book direct. It also shuts for the winter.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

The house is 400 years old, has taken guests for more than a century, and is the largest building in the hamlet of Seatoller; every bedroom is named for a local animal — Badger, Eagle, Osprey, Otter, Owl, Rabbit, Squirrel, Stag, Hedgehog and the Bakehouse annexe.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “dinner is a set menu served at 7.00pm with the exception of Wednesdays, when Dinner is not served”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.