The Lakes' most famous view
One stone arch with Derwentwater and Skiddaw behind it, the picture on every calendar.
You have almost certainly seen this bridge before you learn its name: a single stone arch over a chattering beck, with Derwentwater and a mist-capped Skiddaw filling the frame behind it. The composition has sold calendars, biscuit tins and postcards for decades and is probably the most reproduced view in the whole Lake District. Meeting it in person, the surprise is how small it is: a bridge one laden packhorse wide, built in the eighteenth century for the old trade track between the hamlet of Watendlath and Keswick, and now Grade II listed. It sits on the narrow fell road that climbs off the Borrowdale road (B5289) towards Watendlath, about 3 miles south of Keswick, a ten-minute drive. The land is National Trust and there is no ticket, no timed slot and nothing to book. The tiny pay-and-display car park a few metres past the bridge holds only a handful of cars and is full by mid-morning on a fine summer day; the National Trust tariff is £7 for up to two hours, £8 for up to four and £9.50 all day, charged at all times, with members parking free and cash the safer bet because the mobile signal is poor. Without a car, take the Borrowdale bus 78 to the Ashness Gate stop on the main road, or the Keswick launch to the Ashness Gate landing stage, and walk up the lane, ten to fifteen minutes on a steady but manageable gradient. Be honest with yourself: the bridge itself is a five-minute photo stop. What earns the detour is what lies beyond it. Half a mile further up the same lane is Surprise View, a cliff-top ledge hanging over the entire lake with Keswick laid out below, a far bigger view than the bridge offers and only a few steps from the road. The lane then runs on for another 2.5 miles to end at Watendlath tarn and its handful of stone farmhouses, where a small tearoom keeps seasonal and unreliable hours. The little cairn near the bridge is a memorial to Bob Graham, whose 1932 circuit of 42 peaks in under 24 hours became the famous fell-running challenge that still carries his name. For families: children can scramble safely enough on the rocks by the beck, but a pushchair will not manage Surprise View, and the drop there is unfenced, so hold small hands. The road is single-track with few passing places; do not attempt it in a large hire vehicle or a motorhome. Morning light with the sun behind you is best, October colour is the prettiest, and in winter the lane stays open but low cloud can erase the view entirely.
One stone arch with Derwentwater and Skiddaw behind it, the picture on every calendar.
Half a mile up the lane, a rock ledge over the whole lake, a bigger view than the bridge itself.
The lane ends at a small tarn and a handful of stone farmhouses, old Lakeland at its quietest.
Watendlath Road, Borrowdale, Keswick CA12 5UN
On its own, no; it is a five-minute photo stop. Combined with Surprise View and Watendlath on the same lane it becomes an enjoyable two-hour outing, and a good use of a grey day when the fells are not tempting. In July and August arrive before 10:00 or you will find no parking.
No. The lane is single-track, steep, with few passing places and a bridge one car wide. Coaches and large vehicles stop on the main road at Ashness Gate and passengers walk up, ten to fifteen minutes.