Millican Dalton Cave

A cave dwelling high on Borrowdale's fell side, hollowed out by Millican Dalton himself in the 1880s. The stone-built entrance sits roughly 600 feet up - not an easy scramble - and inside you'll find the bare bones of his hermit life: carved shelves, a fireplace, bits of furniture still wedged against the rock. Dalton was an eccentric Victorian wanderer who decided one day to chisel himself a home into the mountainside and live there alone for years.

The real appeal here is the climb and the views rather than the cave itself. It's modest inside - cramped, damp, nothing fancy. But reaching it feels like finding something genuinely private and strange. The walk takes a good hour or more depending on fitness, and the scramble up loose ground isn't gentle. Proper fell boots help. You'll need to ask locally for directions or consult detailed maps; there's no signage and no visitor facilities whatsoever.

Historically minded walkers get the most from this. Families with young kids might find the walk frustrating and the cave itself underwhelming. The surrounding Borrowdale scenery compensates - dramatic fells all round. If you're staying at either Castlerigg Hall or Keswick Camping Club, both nearby, this makes a decent half-day expedition combined with exploring the valley below. Go midweek in decent weather and you'll likely have the place to yourself, which is rather the point.