Borrowdale Head

The walk up Borrowdale Head takes you through proper Lake District terrain - steep enough to make your calves complain, but the payoff's worth every step. It's a peak that doesn't require technical climbing, just determination and decent boots. Once you crest it, you get expansive views across the valley below, with the fells rolling away in all directions. On a clear day you can see for miles; on a cloudy one, you're basically walking through cloud soup.

Walkers will find their rhythm here. It's not a casual stroll - allow a good couple of hours for the round trip depending on your fitness level and which approach you take from Borrowdale itself. Families with older kids (say, secondary school age and up) can manage it fine. Younger ones might struggle with the gradient unless you're building serious mountaineer credentials. There's nothing shady or slippery about it as a walk - straightforward fell walking in the best tradition.

If you're basing yourself at Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club Site or the highly-rated Kendal site, Borrowdale Head makes a proper full-day expedition. It's the sort of walk that justifies a full cooked breakfast beforehand and a hot chocolate afterwards in Keswick or wherever you're staying. Go early if the weather's uncertain - these fells can close in quickly, and the view that makes the climb worthwhile vanishes in mist just like that.