Exploring the Lake District Valleys: A Guide to the Dales

A Guide to the Lake District Valleys

The Lake District valleys form a vast network across the landscape, shaped by high fells, deep water, and winding becks. Understanding these dales is the best way to know the region. Each valley has its own distinct topography and history, from quiet farming communities to rugged passes leading over the mountain ranges. This guide outlines what each valley is known for, what it leads to, and how the landscape is captured in our fine art collections.

Borrowdale

Borrowdale is a primary valley that runs south from the shores of Derwentwater. The route travels past the steep rock narrows known as the Jaws of Borrowdale, where Castle Crag stands prominently on the valley floor. Continuing inwards, the dale reaches Seathwaite, long recorded as the wettest inhabited place in England. At the head of Borrowdale, the steep climb of Honister Pass leaves the valley to cross the high fells.

Wasdale

Wasdale is reached by a long road in from the west coast. The valley is defined by Wast Water, the deepest lake in England, and the sheer slopes of the Screes that rise directly above it. At the head of this deep trench sits the hamlet of Wasdale Head, positioned below Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.

Great Langdale

Great Langdale is a celebrated dale with a long tradition of climbers seeking out its steep crags. The distinctive profiles of the Langdale Pikes dominate the skyline above the valley floor, while Dungeon Ghyll Force falls dramatically within it, drawing walkers deep into the landscape.

Little Langdale

Little Langdale serves as the quieter neighbour to Great Langdale. The two valleys are connected by a mountain pass where Blea Tarn sits in the open. On the floor of Little Langdale lies Slater's Bridge, an ancient packhorse bridge built from local slate. The valley eventually concludes with the steep incline of Wrynose Pass at its head.

Eskdale

Eskdale is a long western valley carrying the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway along its floor. The route snakes through the quiet woodland and open grazing land before meeting the demanding climb of Hardknott Pass at its head.

Ennerdale

Ennerdale is noted for its isolation, as there is no road along Ennerdale Water. The valley floor and surrounding fells are the site of a long-running project to let the land re-wild, allowing native woodland and natural river paths to return to the landscape.

Newlands

Newlands is a quiet valley of farms lying south-west of Keswick. The familiar ridge of Catbells stands guard on its eastern side, while the road through the valley floor eventually climbs sharply to Newlands Hause at its head.

The Buttermere Valley

The Buttermere valley is a long depression holding both Buttermere and Crummock Water. It is flanked by steep fells on both sides. Honister Pass drops into the valley at one end, and the quieter expanse of Loweswater lies beyond the other.

Rannerdale

Rannerdale is a small side valley located on the shores of Crummock Water. It is famous for its dense carpets of bluebells flowering in the open throughout May, rather than under tree cover.

Patterdale

Patterdale occupies the land at the head of Ullswater, resting below the eastern ridges of Helvellyn. The valley includes Glenridding, the main village situated directly on the lake shore.

Mardale

Mardale is a deep eastern valley now entirely defined by Haweswater, a reservoir that provides water to the north-west. The drowned village of Mardale Green lies beneath the surface, submerged when the valley was flooded.

The Duddon Valley

The Duddon valley follows a long, winding course to the sea. It is characterised by the rocky river that flows through it, which the poet William Wordsworth wrote a sequence of sonnets about.

Longsleddale

Longsleddale is a long, quiet, dead-end dale in the far east of the region. It remains largely agricultural and is widely said to be the model for the valley featured in Postman Pat.

Kentmere

Kentmere is the dale next to Longsleddale. It rises past a small reservoir and traditional farms before concluding at the steep, rough track of Nan Bield Pass at its head.

St John's in the Vale

St John's in the Vale is the valley running north to south between Keswick and Thirlmere. The dark, imposing face of Castle Rock stands high above the valley floor.

The Lake District Valleys in Art

Our main Valleys & Passes collection offers fine art prints and canvases capturing the varied character of these dales. The paintings are impressions of these places, not photographs of them. They focus on the colour, light, and enduring forms of the landscape.

For those drawn to the northern fells, the Borrowdale collection includes pieces such as Teal Dawn Mist in Borrowdale and Borrowdale Valley Fells in Teal. The high, rugged ground at the dale's head can be found in our Honister Pass collection.

The stark, deep trenches of the west are represented in our Wasdale series, featuring works like Abstract Green Wasdale Valley. If you favour the central climbing dales, the Great Langdale collection includes pieces such as Fell Walkers Beneath Great Cliffs and Abstract Great Langdale Valley.

We also feature specific collections for Buttermere, Crummock Water, and Ullswater. For the brief burst of spring colour in the side valleys, explore the Rannerdale collection, which includes Path Through Vivid Rannerdale Bluebells. To plan a visit to see these flowers in person, read A Guide to Rannerdale Bluebells: When to Go & What to See.

Print and Canvas Options

Our square paintings are sold at 40cm, 70cm, and 90cm to suit different spaces. Unframed prints are available at £59.99, £79.99, and £99.99. Framed prints are priced at £89.99, £129.99, and £199.99. For a different texture, unframed canvases are £79.99, £119.99, and £169.99, while framed canvases are £109.99, £159.99, and £209.99. All frames are available in a choice of black, white, or natural wood.

The Map Posters

For a different perspective on the topography of the dales, our Lake Posters collection maps the region's waters. The design places one water per sheet. The true shoreline is rendered as a deep blue watercolour wash, while the fells around it are marked as fine grey contour lines. The name of the water is printed in capitals above, with THE LAKE DISTRICT sitting beneath.

Notable pieces include the Haweswater — Watercolour Map Poster, representing the flooded Mardale valley, the Blea Tarn — Watercolour Contour Map Poster located between the Langdales, and the Ennerdale Water — Watercolour Map Poster. These map posters are available framed in three sizes: 30 x 40cm for £89.99, 45 x 60cm for £119.99, and 50 x 70cm for £129.99. Frames for the posters come in black, white, or natural wood.

Ordering and Delivery

Every print, canvas, and map poster is made to order. It takes 2-5 working days to print the piece, followed by 3-7 working days for UK delivery. All framed pieces arrive with hanging fixings already fitted to the back, ready for the wall. If you are sending a piece directly to someone else, a gift message can be added at checkout.