Kings How, Rosthwaite, Coast to Coast
More Articles in the Rosthwaite to Grasmere subsection
King's How and Brund Fell from Rosthwaite Riverbank Walk
Kings How, Borrowdale, Coast to Coast
King’s How (392 m) rises from the northern flank of Grange Fell, facing the Jaws of Borrowdale across the River Derwent. From the Coast to Coast path near Rosthwaite, walkers enjoy one of the finest Borrowdale panoramas — meadows, the wooded slopes of King’s How, and the higher ridgelines of High Spy and Maiden Moor beyond. At its foot lies the Bowder Stone, an immense glacial erratic, while the River Derwent threads westward below. From Castle Crag, opposite, the view back to King’s How reveals the valley’s perfect symmetry of rock, woodland, and water.
Kings How and Borrowdale Meadows
In summer, the meadows around Rosthwaite glow straw-gold, set against the deep greens of the Jaws of Borrowdale. To the west rise High Spy, Maiden Moor and Cat Bells; to the east, King’s How and Grange Fell frame the Derwent as it threads the valley.
Kings How from Lingy Bank
The domed summit of King’s How stands proud above Borrowdale’s wooded slopes. Its southwest face drops steeply through Bowder Crag and Andersonband Crag, linked by a pale scree run that cuts the hillside between the 300 m and 100 m contours — a striking feature seen clearly from Lingy Bank.
Kings How and Brund Fell
Taken from south of Castle Crag, this view looks slightly north-east toward the twin summits of King’s How and Brund Fell. Rising above the woods of Borrowdale, they define the rugged spine of Grange Fell — a graceful contrast to the steep western slopes across the valley.
Brund Fell Summit
Brund Fell, the central Wainwright of Grange Fell’s three summits, rises to 415 m above Borrowdale, facing Castle Crag, Low Scawdel, and High Spy across the valley. It’s best approached from Hazel Bank via Puddingstone Bank, where the fell and its summit ridge are clearly visible — as captured in this view from the ascent.
Kings How
King’s How rises to 392 m, just below its sibling Brund Fell at 415 m. Both form craggy, rugged peaks on the Wainwright-listed plateau of Grange Fell — a high shoulder squeezed between the Borrowdale Valley to the west and the secluded Watendlath Valley to the east. The third summit of this small fell family is Ether Knott, the highest at 419 m, crowning the eastern face.
King’s How is cloaked on three sides by the ancient oaks and birches of Frith Wood, which lend the fell its distinctive green flank above the Jaws of Borrowdale.
Memorial to King Edward VII
King’s How takes its name from King Edward VII. The fell forms part of the National Trust estate of Grange Fell — the Trust’s first ever acquisition, purchased in 1910 as a memorial to the late king at the request of his sister, Princess Louise.
A bronze plaque, set just below the summit, bears her dedication:
“In Loving Memory of King Edward VII, Grange Fell is dedicated by his sister Louise as a sanctuary of rest and peace. Here may all beings gather strength, find in scenes of beautiful nature a cause for gratitude and love to God, giving them courage and vigour to carry on His will.”
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