Borrowdale is the name of two valleys in the English Lake District.

Cumberland Borrowdale

The more famous Borrowdale is a valley located in the old county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria. It is also the name of an extensive parish including the valley and some of the fells surrounding it.

The valley rises in the central Lake District and runs north carrying the River Derwent into the lake of Derwent Water.

The waters of the River have their origins over a wide area of the central massif of the Lake District north of Esk Hause and Stake Pass, including draining the northern end of Sca Fell including Great End, and all of the Glaramara ridge. Near Rosthwaite the side valley of Langstrath joins the main valley from Seathwaite before the combined waters negotiate the narrow gap known as the Jaws of Borrowdale. The valley then opens out around Grange before the river empties into Derwent Water.

The valley is a very popular tourist location, with hotels, guesthouses, holiday cottages, bed & breakfasts, and campsites, catering for the lowland visitor as well as the hill-walker who can choose from a very wide range of popular mountains, including England's highest, Scafell Pike.

Westmorland Borrowdale

The less well known Borrowdale staddles the eastern border of the Lake District National Park, and is located in the old county of Westmorland, now part of Cumbria.

The valley carries Borrow Beck for 11 kilometres, from Borrowdale Hole, Borrowdale Moss, and End of Borrowdale, crossing the A6 road at High Borrow Bridge and reaching the River Lune at Low Borrow Bridge, site of a Roman fort, and where the original bridge has been supplemented by a new bridge for the A685 road, twin viaducts for the M6 motorway, and the West Coast Main Line railway.

The upper segment, above High Borrow Bridge, is very remote; the lower segment carries a bridleway along its length, and has easy parking at the eastern end just off the A685, but remains quiet even in the high season.