WAGFINDER
Walk · Cumbria

The Rosthwaite Round to Watendlath and Dock Tarn

Borrowdale · CA12 5XB
N 1 MILE
5.25MILES
3h 55mON FOOT
500mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
Off-road 92% 8% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 62%Lane & track 30%Road with traffic 8%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
Rosthwaite National Trust car park, grid ref NY257148 CA12 5XB
Parking
National Trust pay-and-display behind the village, free to members, about 40 spaces; it fills early because it is also the car park for Castle Crag, and the Borrowdale 78 bus from Keswick stops on the
Directions to the start →

A long day out of Rosthwaite over the shoulder of Great Crag, taking in two tarns and the hanging valley at Watendlath. The bridleway climbs past the group of pines known as the Six Sisters, with the whole of the Seathwaite valley behind, before dropping to the tea room at Watendlath. From there the route turns south over boggy moorland to Dock Tarn, then down a pitched path through the old sessile oaks of Lingy End into Stonethwaite and back along the beck. It is graded challenging by the National Trust and the middle section is genuinely rough and wet underfoot.

THE SMALL PRINTThe National Trust trail notes say "Dogs welcome under close control." The route crosses in-bye fields and open fell grazed by Herdwicks for its whole length, so a lead is needed almost throughout.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on
REGION · CUMBRIA
GRID · 54.5230, -3.1487
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK/VISIT/LAKE-DISTRICT/BORROWDALE-AND-DERWENT-WATER/ROSTHWAITE-ROUND-FELLS-TARN-AND-BECK-WALK
Also in Borrowdale
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880 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors 5.4 MI · LOOP
SOME LIMITS

Castle Crag and Millican Dalton's cave

Borrowdale
No reviews yet
5.4MILES
2:35TIME
230mCLIMB
92%OFF-ROAD
Livestock — leads on Water bowls

Five and a half miles and about two and a half hours for 230 metres of climb: the Allerdale Ramble along the Derwent from Seatoller, then the slate spoil zigzag onto Castle Crag, the smallest Wainwright and the best view in Borrowdale. Start at the National Trust Seatoller car park at the foot of Honister, paid, around 60 spaces, and usually the last car park in the valley to fill. The riverside section is enclosed and the Derwent has deep pools a dog can swim in, but the final 80 metres onto the crag climbs loose slate spoil that cuts pads and is genuinely steep, and the summit is a small rocky platform with drops on three sides - many people leave the dog with a companion at the col.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
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Chapel Field

CA12 5XG
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Chapel Field is a place to stay in Borrowdale. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

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Stay NOT CHECKED YET

Gillercombe

No reviews yet

Gillercombe is a place to stay in Borrowdale. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

NOT CHECKED YET · IS THIS YOURS? VIEW ›
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Cottages you can book near Borrowdale

Real dog-welcoming cottages from our booking partner holidaycottages.co.uk — live prices, booked on their site. Booking through these links supports Wagfinder and never changes the price you pay.

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