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10.33 km · ~298 m ascent · ~2.5–3.5 h · loop

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Hard steepnessLoopWalked in part

Watendlath & the packhorse bridge

10.33 km
Distance
~2.5–3.5 h
Typical time
~298 m
Ascent
Download GPX →Walked in part · km 0.0–1.5, km 7.6–8.4 from the map

Key facts

Distance 10.33 km
Ascent ~298 m
Descent ~302 m
Time ~2.5–3.5 h
Type Loop
Start Borrowdale (B5289)
A roughly 6.4-mile Borrowdale loop up to the hidden hamlet of Watendlath, its tarn and the much-photographed packhorse bridge, returning down the valley. A satisfying low-level half-day.
🥾 Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in August 2025; km 0.0–1.5, km 7.6–8.4 of this line are from the map. 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

LengthModerate10.33 km round.
SteepnessHardSteepest sustained pull about 33% around the 9.7 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationEasyValley paths and lanes — easy to follow even in poor visibility.
ExposureNot assessedExposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) can’t be judged from gradient data alone, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the route is editorially assessed or walked.

Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.

Daylight & turnaround

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 69 m to 265 m over 10.3 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%. 265 m 69 m 0 km 10.3 km

Easy 96%Moderate 2%Hard 2%Severe

~298 m
Total ascent
265 m
High point
82 m
Start height

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

This walk covers about 10.33 km with around 298 m of ascent. 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
Gates only
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Tough descent
  • Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
  • Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
  • Knees: A long, steep ~33% drop around the 9.6 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 19 gates · 3 kissing gates

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 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Finish10.3 km298 m2:34–3:25

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. Borrowdale (B5289) → Finish (10.3 km, 298 m)

    Climb of about 298 m over 10.3 km (around 3% average).

    Start along the B5289 road on the eastern shore of Derwentwater in Borrowdale (near Ashness Gate / Lodore Landing). Pick up the trail climbing through Ashness Wood up to the iconic Ashness Bridge, a classic stone packhorse bridge with famous views across the lake toward Skiddaw. Continue ascending south along the narrow lane or adjacent woodland path to reach Surprise View, a cliff-top vantage point offering sweeping panoramas over Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. From Surprise View, follow the main gravel path heading south through the high valley bowl, keeping Watendlath Beck down to your left. The path gently rises alongside the stream to bring you into the secluded mountain hamlet of Watendlath. Cross the historic stone packhorse bridge by Watendlath Tarn. For the return journey, take the parallel woodland trail on the western side of the valley, winding north through High Low Wood and Lodore Woods. The trail descends past the head of Lodore Falls before looping down through the woods to rejoin the B5289 and the lakeshore path back to the start

    Waypoints

    B5289 start (Ashness Gate / Lodore Landing) Ashness Wood Ashness Bridge Surprise View Watendlath Beck valley trail Watendlath (Packhorse Bridge & Tarn) High Low Wood / Lodore Woods Lodore Falls viewpoint Return to B5289 finish.

    Decision point

    Watendlath Beck serves as a continuous, reliable handrail along the valley floor. The main bridleway between Ashness Bridge and Watendlath is wide and straightforward to follow

    Easy to get wrong

    This is a gentle, low-level walk with a modest 3% average gradient. However, sections through Lodore Woods and along Watendlath Beck can become muddy, boggy, and slick with wet tree roots or mossy rocks after rain. Care is needed near the unfenced cliff edge at Surprise View and along the narrow road near Ashness Bridge when passing vehicles

    If you need to get off

    At Ashness Bridge / Surprise View: If the weather turns or energy levels drop, simply retrace your steps down the lane or woodland path to the B5289. At Watendlath: Watendlath has a tarmac single-track access road running all the way back down to Ashness Bridge and the B5289, offering a paved, non-technical alternative return route if the woodland tracks are too boggy

    A still lake seen through a frame of overhanging oak and birch, with a long wooded fell catching the low sun on the far shore
    A calm lake beyond a screen of young conifers, with morning sun picking out the green flanks of the fells along the far side
    © Lee McCoy · 2 photographs

Getting there & parking

Surprise View (NT) - accessible bays — 0.4 km from the start (straight line)
1.9 km from Bleaberry Fell. Four bays for blue-badge holders.
Directions Something changed here?
Surprise View (NT) — 0.5 km from the start (straight line)
1.8 km from Bleaberry Fell. Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked Aug 2026). £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Charges apply at all times. Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; JustPark app at some car parks; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Kettlewell, Derwentwater (NT, paid) — 0.7 km from the start (straight line)
On the Borrowdale road by the lake, near Ashness Bridge. Fees: pay and display (LDNP directory, checked Aug 2026). £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026). Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; JustPark app at some car parks; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
Bleaberry Fell (verge) — 0.9 km from the start (straight line)
1.6 km from Bleaberry Fell.
Directions Something changed here?
Car park for Bleaberry Fell (paid) — 1.0 km from the start (straight line)
1.6 km from Bleaberry Fell. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Charges apply at all times. Free for NT members (checked Aug 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; JustPark app at some car parks; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked Aug 2026).
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

🚺 map (40 m)🚌 Lodore Hotel (S bound) (18 m)🚌 Lodore Hotel (N bound) (38 m)

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

Buses

The 78 stops at Borrowdale, outside Lodore Hotel, 50 m from this start. The last bus is 19:43 towards Seatoller (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 78 passes this route at 1.8 km (Ashness, opposite Derwentwater Youth Hostel, 10 m off the line). It passes again at 10.3 km.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, 20 min walk up the lane).

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

If the parking is full

There is no real plan B here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.

  • Watendlath (NT, paid)
  • Walla Crag car park (free)
  • Surprise View (NT) - accessible bays

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.

Safety & conditions

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

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

We have not verified an independent place near this start — these are the chains and charities that serve it.

YHA Borrowdale hostel

about 4.7 km from the start, in a straight line

The one place in this radius that answers every question a wet family asks at six o'clock: a shared drying room, breakfast from 07:30, meals to 20:30, a self-catering kitchen, a highchair, wheelchair access and parking at £5 a night. Not independent, and included anyway because nothing independent in the valley states a drying room. Two clauses a family must read first: under-16s must be with an adult of 18 or over, and under-12s cannot be in dorm rooms - so a young child means paying for a private room, not a bunk.

Worth knowing: “Pets are not permitted at YHA Borrowdale, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

It holds a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, number 105532, and its own facility list warns of no mobile coverage at the hostel.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “a family of four can enjoy it all for under £60, making great food and great value part of every stay”
  • Evening meal “Meals are also available from 17:00 - 20:30.”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale”
  • Parking “This hostel has on-site parking (subject to availability). Charges apply though overnight guests benefit from a discounted rate of £5 per vehicle for 24 hours.”
  • Children “Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over to stay at YHA.”

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.

Appears in these collections
Dog-friendly walks