The Bowder Stone
A house-sized boulder perched impossibly on one edge in the heart of the Jaws of Borrowdale, the Bowder Stone has been stopping walkers in their tracks since Georgian times. Scramble the wooden ladder to the top and you'll understand instantly why this single rock has been a Lake District icon for over two centuries.
A Relic of the Ice Age
The Bowder Stone is no ordinary roadside curiosity. Weighing an estimated 2,000 tons and standing 30 feet high by 50 feet across, it appears to rest in a delicate, almost theatrical balance — the result of a glacier retreating roughly 18,000 years ago and depositing this colossal chunk of local rock exactly where it stands today.
The stone sits right in the 'Jaws of Borrowdale', the dramatic pinch-point where the valley narrows and the crags lean in over the road. The short walk in from the car park winds through broadleaved woodland, so the boulder's full scale hits you only at the very last moment.
Climbing Up & Looking Around
A sturdy wooden ladder bolted to one face invites you to the summit — a flat ledge just wide enough to stand and spin slowly through 360 degrees of fell, woodland and valley. It's one of the easiest 'summit' moments in the entire Lake District and genuinely thrilling for children and adults alike.
The surrounding woodland is part of Borrowdale's celebrated Atlantic oakwood, one of Britain's rarest habitats, so keep an eye out for red squirrels and woodland birds as you walk back to the car park.
The Bowder Stone on video
More of Borrowdale
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Borrowdale →
