--- title: "Grange in Borrowdale | Visit Keswick, Lake District" url: https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/grange-in-borrowdale description: "A monastic farm that became a village: the 1675 bridge, the Jaws of Borrowdale, and the Bowder Stone a short walk up the road." --- ## The name is the history These small settlements have been here a very long time, and their names usually say why. A grange is a farm, generally one belonging to a monastery — and in this case it was the monks of Furness Abbey who built a monastic grange here in medieval times. The well-known double-arched bridge was built in 1675; the church of the Holy Trinity dates from 1861. Grange was a Methodist dry village, and it is only in recent years that the Borrowdale Gates Hotel was granted a licence to serve non-residents. The river running past the cottages and gardens of Grange in Borrowdale ## The Jaws of Borrowdale The Borrowdale valley runs some ten miles from the high fells — Scafell Pike, at 977 metres the highest summit in England, stands at its head — down to the shores of Derwentwater. Beyond Grange the valley narrows into the spectacular Jaws of Borrowdale, road and paths squeezed together into a gorge. Then, with real suddenness, it opens into rich pasture bordered by drystone walls across a flat valley floor, and the whole ring of mountains at the head of the valley is revealed at once. Two people standing on top of the Bowder Stone showing the scale of it ## The Bowder Stone One of the most famous rocks in the Lake District sits close to the village. It weighs 2,000 tonnes, stands 30 feet high and 30 feet across, measures 90 feet around — and balances entirely by itself. It is a short walk from the National Trust car park on the B5289 between Grange and Rosthwaite. [More about the Bowder Stone](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/not-to-miss/the-bowder-stone) . ## Climbing, walking and getting here Borrowdale is one of the most popular places to climb in the Lake District, because it has a great many low-level, fast-drying crags within easy reach of the road. Three classics are here: Little Chamonix on Shepherd’s Crag, Gillercombe Buttress on Gillercombe, and Troutdale Pinnacle on Black Crag. There is fishing and there are water sports besides. Grange is the start of many fell walks — Catbells, Castle Crag and Grange Fell among them. For something level, follow the path beside the river Derwent to Rosthwaite and Seatoller, or the other way towards Derwentwater and along the shore into Keswick. The 78 runs between Keswick and Seatoller all year. From April to October the seasonal Honister Rambler runs a circuit in both directions, taking in Portinscale, Catbells, Grange, Rosthwaite, Seatoller, Honister Slate Mine, Buttermere, Lorton and Whinlatter Forest, over one of the steepest passes in the region. [Bus times and routes](https://visitkeswick.com/visitor-info/getting-to-keswick) are on the getting here page. The double arch of Grange bridge over the frozen river with pink light on the crags ## Stay in Borrowdale The bridge is a popular stopping place for a picnic or a cafe, and the village behind it stays quiet even when the road is busy. [Find somewhere to stay](https://visitkeswick.com/stay) ## Other villages nearby The Threlkeld village sign in front of white houses with Blencathra rising behind Threlkeld A working village below Blencathra, with two pubs and a traffic-free railway path into Keswick. Explore Threlkeld A lane running between village cottages with the long flank of Skiddaw rising above Applethwaite and Millbeck Two hamlets below Skiddaw, with old mills, red squirrels and the classic route up the mountain. Explore Applethwaite and Millbeck Large stepping stones crossing a shallow river between wooded banks Rosthwaite A walking base among Borrowdale’s fells, near the stepping stones, Castle Crag and Langstrath. Explore Rosthwaite The narrow street through Seatoller between old cottages hung with flowers Seatoller and Stonethwaite At the head of Borrowdale, close to Honister Pass, slate mines and routes towards Scafell Pike. Explore Seatoller and Stonethwaite Whitewashed cottages and a hotel along the road through Portinscale Portinscale Derwentwater boats, lakeside paths and a fifteen-minute walk over the suspension bridge from Keswick. Explore Portinscale Loading map… - Grange in Borrowdale - [Keswick](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/town) - [Rosthwaite](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/rosthwaite) - [Seatoller](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/seatoller-and-stonethwaite) - [Portinscale](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/portinscale) ## Where to stay For somewhere to stay close by, see [places to stay in Borrowdale](https://visitkeswick.com/stay/borrowdale) . ## For AI agents - API catalogue: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/api-catalog - Guide for AI agents: https://visitkeswick.com/llms.txt - A2A agent card: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/agent-card.json - MCP server card: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json - Personal Agent Protocol: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/poppy.json - Live availability and booking: the site's tools above (MCP connector at https://visitkeswick.com/mcp).