England
Borrowdale
England's wettest valley where waterfalls thread through oak canopy into black pools.
Rain falls here more than almost anywhere in England, and the valley wears it well — waterfalls multiply after storms, the river swells beneath stone bridges, and the oakwoods turn a green so deep it feels painted. Borrowdale in Cumbria cuts south from Derwentwater into the heart of the Lake District.
Borrowdale's geology is volcanic: the Borrowdale Volcanic Series laid down 450 million years ago created the crags, ravines, and U-shaped valley that define the landscape today. Castle Crag, the smallest fell in Wainwright's guides, offers a scramble to a summit ringed by slate quarry ruins with views up the valley to Great Gable. The Bowder Stone, a 2,000-tonne glacial erratic balanced on one edge, draws visitors who climb the ladder to its top. Seathwaite, at the valley head, is officially the wettest inhabited place in England with over 3,000mm of rainfall annually. The ancient yew trees in Borrowdale churchyard are estimated to be over 1,500 years old.
Solo
Castle Crag's summit is a place to sit and think. The scramble up is short but steep, and the view from the top — a full panorama of the Jaws of Borrowdale — earns its keep.
Couple
The flat walk along the river from Rosthwaite to Seatoller passes through ancient oakwood and over packhorse bridges — gentle, atmospheric, and sheltered even in rain.
Friends
Borrowdale is base camp for serious Lake District walking. Great Gable, Scafell Pike, and the Langdale Pikes are all accessible from the valley, with the pub at Rosthwaite waiting at the end.
- England's wettest inhabited valley feeds waterfalls that thunder after rain and whisper in sunshine.
- The scramble to the top of Castle Crag rewards with a 360-degree panorama of the Jaws of Borrowdale.
- Centuries-old yew trees in the churchyard are among the oldest living things in Britain.
- Converted farmhouses and slate-roofed B&Bs sit beneath crags where ravens wheel in the updraft.
Cumberland sausage coil with mustard mash at the Scafell Hotel after a rain-soaked hike.
Sticky toffee pudding at the Flock Inn, Rosthwaite — a fell-walker's ritual.
Kamikochi
Japan
Turquoise river slicing through an alpine cathedral closed to cars year-round.
Cape Breton Highlands
Canada
The Cabot Trail corkscrews along sea cliffs where whales breach below and moose graze the ridgeline.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
New Zealand
Emerald lakes glow in the craters of an active volcano on a moonscape ridge walk.
Mount Taranaki
New Zealand
A near-perfect volcanic cone so symmetrical that satellite photos look digitally rendered.
Bristol
England
Street art erupts from harbour walls where Banksy's ghost still prowls.
Brighton
England
Regency excess meets punk rebellion on a pebble beach that never sleeps.
Bedruthan Steps
England
Sea stacks like broken teeth guard a beach only accessible at low tide.
Whitby
England
Gothic abbey ruins over a harbour where Dracula came ashore and jet jewellery gleams black.