Borrowdale and Derwent Water

Borrowdale winds 7 miles from Keswick to Seathwaite, with Derwent Water, often called the Queen of the Lakes, at its mouth. Brandelhow Park is the birthplace of the National Trust in the Lake District: founders Octavia Hill and Canon Rawnsley planted commemorative trees here in 1902, and the cupped-hands sculpture Entrust stands by the lakeshore. The valley also holds the Bowder Stone, a house-sized boulder balanced on its side with a ladder to the top, the Atlantic oakwood of Great Wood, where red squirrels live, and the packhorse Ashness Bridge near Surprise View. The Trust's trails run from a 1.25-mile accessible loop through Cockshot Wood to the 7-mile round from Seatoller to Styhead Tarn and Grains Gill. Dogs are welcome throughout under close control, on leads around livestock, particularly at lambing time. Reviewers come for a day on foot with plenty to see. Car parks are pay and display, free to members who scan their card, the Keswick Launch calls at seven landing stages around the lake, and there are accessible toilets at Seatoller, Rosthwaite and Watendlath.