Lakeland’s Three Passes Walk

Mountain passes have been important thoroughfares in the Lake District ever since people needed to travel from one valley to another because the distance around the mountains was usually very long. This incredibly scenic and atmospheric walk follows old packhorse tracks over three historic mountain passes to create a circular route visiting three of the most famous valleys in the Lake District – Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale.

Borrowdale, with its emerald pastures, crystal rivers, ancient oak woodlands and tranquil villages of whitewashed cottages, is widely regarded as the prettiest of all the valleys. From Rosthwaite, in the heart of Borrowdale, the Three Passes Walk follows an old packhorse track past the pretty hamlet of Stonethwaite and into Langstrath. It runs along Langstrath Beck, described by the painter W. Heaton Cooper as ‘the wildest, rockiest, most colourful and interesting mountain stream in England’, and then crosses Stake Pass into Langdale. With the prominent rocky summits of Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes rising abruptly from the flat valley floor, Langdale has some of the most dramatic scenery in the Lakes. From here, the route follows the old pony track up Rossett Gill to Angle Tarn, which lies in an ice-scoured hollow beneath the sombre cliffs of Hanging Knotts. It visits Sprinkling Tarn, one of the prettiest tarns in the Lake District, and then descends into Wasdale. Wasdale is famous for its breathtaking mountain scenery: the awesome Screes plunge 2000 feet from Illgill Head into the crystal waters of its lake, whilst the highest peaks in England – the Scafells, Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar - crowd around the head of the valley. The final stage of this outstanding walk returns to Borrowdale via Sty Head, along a packhorse track that was still in use as late as 1930. 

Summit-baggers will be pleased to learn that high-level options are available for each stage, taking in Raise, Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knots.

Highlights of the walk include the outstanding mountain scenery and atmosphere; the amazing views; some of the finest inns in the District; the wonderful packhorse bridges; England's smallest church; and the patchwork of fields criss-crossed by drystone walls several feet thick that served as stone dumps when the pastures were first cleared around Wasdale Head.

On this walk we offer two accommodation options – Hotel (staying in the famous Scafell Hotel, the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, and the Wasdale Head Inn) or B&B (staying in farmhouse B&Bs).