Borrowdale Skyline
EXPERIENCE BORROWDALE & THE NORTH LAKE DISTRICT AT ITS FINEST
£945
4 nights, 4.5 walking days
Grade: 3 - Moderate
Grade: 4 - Moderate to Challenging (option)
- Another opportunity to stay at this, our most-used hotel, with its superb food and unique location.
- A perfect week for those who like to get up on the hill-tops to experience England’s most spectacular views, and who enjoy the pure exhilaration of Lakeland summit bagging.
- A ‘Wainwright starter’: if you are interested in collecting some of the famous Wainwright summits, this is the perfect starter trip!
- Visit The Lakes at this colourful and atmospheric time of the year when summer is easing into autumn.
- Get to know the Borrowdale Valley, inspiration for artists over hundreds of years, and a regularly used dramatic film set.
The holiday cost on a full board basis with single en-suite accommodation is £945. If you are travelling with a friend or partner and would like to share a room, please contact us for cost and availability.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Valley Walk
If you can, join us on the arrival day by 2 pm for a half day local walk to get to know your fellow travellers and the environment close by.
[3 hours walking]
For those who are unable to arrive by then, join us for dinner at 6:30 pm, after which we will talk through our planned programme.
Day 2 - Glaramara & Esk Hause
An ascent of Glaramara, a perfect ridge-backed mountain after which our hotel is named, and which is the centrepiece of the view from the hotel lounge window. At 783m it provides a worthy challenge and leads naturally onto Esk Hause, and a descent via the wild valley of Upper Langstrath.
[7-8 hours walking]
Day 3 - Littledale Edge
We start the day over in Buttermere village and soon ascend to the high level ridge of Littledale Edge which offers a lofty but straightforward route over the fell-tops back to our hotel.
[7-8 hours walking]
Day 4 - Green Gable & Great Gable
Grade 3 Option: Hike up alongside the tumbling cascades of Sour Milk Ghyll and on to the relatively easy summit of Green Gable, with superb views of the central fells. We descend to Sty Head, a beautiful miniature lake set high in the hills at around 2000 ft altitude. From there we descend alongside Taylor Gill Force, a waterfall that drops 140 ft into the Seathwaite Valley (5-6 hours).
Grade 4 Option: Before descending to Styhead Tarn, this option takes on the scrambly (but short) ascent to the classic Lakeland summit of Great Gable, a shapely mountain formed by a resistant volcanic plug, the solidified heart of an ancient volcano.
[7-8 hours walking]
Day 5 - Valley Walk
A low level walk to enjoy an easier route in the valley and to reflect on a superb week of hill walking on the hills that form the Borrowdale skyline. We aim to finish our programme by 1 pm.
[3-4 hours walking]
Please note that the above itinerary is subject to weather conditions being favourable. Walking times shown are approximations and may vary. Our aim, above all, is to make the right choice each day so that we enjoy the most appropriate route for the conditions.
Accommodation
For our north Lake District walking holiday we will be based at the Glaramara Hotel near Rosthwaite in Borrowdale. Its location is second to none, set deep in the heart of the most spectacular Lakeland valley. It also offers great food, a comfortable bar, and an extensive garden where you can relax after a day of fresh air and exercise.
Hotel postcode: CA12 5XQ
To reach Glaramara by public transport, take the train to Penrith, from where buses to Keswick and then to Seatoller take you almost to the front door of our hotel.
To reach Glaramara by car, leave the M6 at Jn 40. Then take the A66 to Keswick and the B5289 to Seatoller.
