Description
The Borrowdale Bash is a classic Lake District loop starting and finishing in Keswick, circling Derwent Water and the Borrowdale valley. It's roughly 28-34km depending on the exact variant ridden, with two significant road climbs and several miles of genuinely excellent technical singletrack, most notably the bridleway descent at Birkett's Leap.
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The Trails
- From Keswick, the route heads south along the east bank of Derwent Water before the first road climb to Ashness Bridge and on to Watendlath Tarn.
- From Watendlath, cross the ford or footbridge and climb the rocky bridleway onto Birkett's Leap, widely rated one of the best bridleways in the Lakes, before a fast, technical descent into Rosthwaite.
- Through Rosthwaite and Seatoller, the second road climb takes you up Honister Pass, before a gravel track branches off, flanking High Scawdel and joining the Allerdale Ramble past Low Scawdel.
- A stepped descent through the woods at Castle Crag leads to Grange, then a bridleway climbs again to flank Cat Bells before a fast final descent back towards Keswick.
Getting Here
Theatre by the Lake Car Park, Lake Road, Keswick CA12 5DJ is a good starting point, a pay and display car park out of the way of the town centre.
- Refreshments are available along the way: a seasonal tearoom at Watendlath, and the Yew Tree pub at Seatoller, which reopened in 2025 after restoration.
- Honister Pass can close temporarily in icy winter conditions.
- Check the Lake District National Park Authority's rights of way updates for any current closures before you go.
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