National Trust Borrowdale and Buttermere Valleys
Borrowdale and Buttermere Valley are some of the most popular areas to visit in the lake district and it really isn't hard to see why. Ideally located near Keswick, they are the ideal setting for a wide range of activities from walking, hiking, paddling, cycling and climbing to simply sitting on a bench and taking in the view. With such breath taking vistas, you might also be tempted to bring a notebook or canvas and create your own work of art as many famous artists have done before. With many paths to choose from which cater to a wide range of abilities, come and make Borrowdale or Buttermere the backdrop to your next day out with the entire family.
Take a stroll down to Friar's Crag, let the kids run wild though the woods or hold your own stone-skimming competition on the beach at Strandshag Bay - it's all right on the doorstep.
Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/borrowdale and www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buttermere-valley for more information about how we care for this landscape, the waymarked walks you can follow and the events we'd love to see you at.
All funds collected from parking fees go towards keeping the lakes accessible and safe for all as well as ensuring that our precious landscape and all spcies who call it home continue to thrive for generations to come.
Location
Where to leave the car
-
Great Wood Car Park (CA12 5UP) - for a moderate way-marked walk
-
Ashness Bridge Car Park (CA12 5UN) - for one of the most sought after photo opportunities in the Lake District.
-
Surprise View Car Park (CA12 5UU) - for jaw dropping views across Derwent Water
-
Watendlath Car Park (CA12 5UW) - a scenic drive for the brave to discover a hidden hamlet
-
Kettlewell Car Park (CA12 5UN) - right on the lakeshore popular with water sports enthusiasts
-
Bowder Stone Car Park (CA12 5XA) - for a wheelchair accessible stroll to a boulder as big as your house
-
Rosthwaite Car Park (CA12 5XB) - for walks from the heart of lakeland
-
Seatoller Car Park (CA12 5XN) - our biggest car park, down in the valley below the mighty Honister Pass
-
Honister Pass Car Park (CA12 5XJ) - our highest car park!
- Buttermere Car Park (CA13 9UZ) - from here you can walk the 4½ mile (7km)lakeshore path that encircles Buttermere.
Every car park ticket sold helps to support our conservation work to care for the paths, gates, stiles and wildlife of the Lake District. You can support our work for 24 hours by buying a day ticket. If you're planning lots of short stops that's a good option, as you can transfer your ticket between our car parks until it expires.
If you're a member, scan your card to claim your free parking, we get £1 to fund our work every time you do.
Community coppicing days
Come and enjoy a day out in the Borrowdale Rainforest National Nature Reserve to help us with coppicing and take home some wood for gardening stakes, firewood or whatever you like.
Volunteer alongside our rangers and learn a bit more about our woodland management work in Great Wood. Coppicing is an ancient woodland management technique that was once used to ensure regular supplies of timber and firewood. Today, we use it in many of the places we care for to create a range of habitats for plants and wildlife, dramatically increasing the diversity of species that thrive in these areas.
You can also help with fencing if required in certain areas to help keep grazing animals out of the woodlands.
This event is rain or shine so please dress for the weather. Sturdy shoes and clothing you don't mind getting dirty are recommended.
Meeting Point: Great Wood car park, Borrowdale
Force Crag Mine Open Day for GeoWeek
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet.
Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Whilst the underground tunnels have collapsed, this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Force Crag Mine Open Day for the Festival of Archaeology
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet. Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District, it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The underground tunnels have collapsed, and this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Force Crag Mine Heritage Open Day Open Day
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet.
Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District, it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The underground tunnels have collapsed, and this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Your enquiry will be sent directly to National Trust Borrowdale and Buttermere Valleys. Please fill in as much detail as you can.
Borrowdale and Buttermere Valley are some of the most popular areas to visit in the lake district and it really isn't hard to see why. Ideally located near Keswick, they are the ideal setting for a wide range of activities from walking, hiking, paddling, cycling and climbing to simply sitting on a bench and taking in the view. With such breath taking vistas, you might also be tempted to bring a notebook or canvas and create your own work of art as many famous artists have done before. With many paths to choose from which cater to a wide range of abilities, come and make Borrowdale or Buttermere the backdrop to your next day out with the entire family.
Take a stroll down to Friar's Crag, let the kids run wild though the woods or hold your own stone-skimming competition on the beach at Strandshag Bay - it's all right on the doorstep.
Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/borrowdale and www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buttermere-valley for more information about how we care for this landscape, the waymarked walks you can follow and the events we'd love to see you at.
All funds collected from parking fees go towards keeping the lakes accessible and safe for all as well as ensuring that our precious landscape and all spcies who call it home continue to thrive for generations to come.
Location
Where to leave the car
-
Great Wood Car Park (CA12 5UP) - for a moderate way-marked walk
-
Ashness Bridge Car Park (CA12 5UN) - for one of the most sought after photo opportunities in the Lake District.
-
Surprise View Car Park (CA12 5UU) - for jaw dropping views across Derwent Water
-
Watendlath Car Park (CA12 5UW) - a scenic drive for the brave to discover a hidden hamlet
-
Kettlewell Car Park (CA12 5UN) - right on the lakeshore popular with water sports enthusiasts
-
Bowder Stone Car Park (CA12 5XA) - for a wheelchair accessible stroll to a boulder as big as your house
-
Rosthwaite Car Park (CA12 5XB) - for walks from the heart of lakeland
-
Seatoller Car Park (CA12 5XN) - our biggest car park, down in the valley below the mighty Honister Pass
-
Honister Pass Car Park (CA12 5XJ) - our highest car park!
- Buttermere Car Park (CA13 9UZ) - from here you can walk the 4½ mile (7km)lakeshore path that encircles Buttermere.
Every car park ticket sold helps to support our conservation work to care for the paths, gates, stiles and wildlife of the Lake District. You can support our work for 24 hours by buying a day ticket. If you're planning lots of short stops that's a good option, as you can transfer your ticket between our car parks until it expires.
If you're a member, scan your card to claim your free parking, we get £1 to fund our work every time you do.
Community coppicing days
Come and enjoy a day out in the Borrowdale Rainforest National Nature Reserve to help us with coppicing and take home some wood for gardening stakes, firewood or whatever you like.
Volunteer alongside our rangers and learn a bit more about our woodland management work in Great Wood. Coppicing is an ancient woodland management technique that was once used to ensure regular supplies of timber and firewood. Today, we use it in many of the places we care for to create a range of habitats for plants and wildlife, dramatically increasing the diversity of species that thrive in these areas.
You can also help with fencing if required in certain areas to help keep grazing animals out of the woodlands.
This event is rain or shine so please dress for the weather. Sturdy shoes and clothing you don't mind getting dirty are recommended.
Meeting Point: Great Wood car park, Borrowdale
Force Crag Mine Open Day for GeoWeek
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet.
Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Whilst the underground tunnels have collapsed, this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Force Crag Mine Open Day for the Festival of Archaeology
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet. Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District, it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The underground tunnels have collapsed, and this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Force Crag Mine Heritage Open Day Open Day
A rusty ‘tin shed’ beside a dramatic waterfall in a remote valley just outside Keswick – this building is a tribute to human engineering and ingenuity, and it has a powerful story to tell about humanity’s impact on the planet.
Before closing in 1991, the mine was the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District, it’s now an Ancient Scheduled Monument and a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The underground tunnels have collapsed, and this is a rare opportunity to go round the processing mill to see how the rock ore brought out of the mine was turned into the finished product. The processing mill at Force Crag Mine holds the most complete assemblage of metal ore mining machinery preserved in-situ anywhere in England.
No need to book: Make your own way on foot or by bicycle and drop in to the mill any time between 10am and 2:30pm. You’ll be able to join the next tour on which there is space. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes.
To make our open days accessible and inclusive to people who can’t make their own way to the mill, we run a limited number of transport shuttles each day. Tours including transport meet at Noble Knott car park at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm. (NB only 8 places available per hour on transport)
Your enquiry will be sent directly to National Trust Borrowdale and Buttermere Valleys. Please fill in as much detail as you can.