Work has completed on a project to convert a dilapidated building next to the famous Bowderstone, in Borrowdale, into a disability-friendly bothy
For over 40 years, the Lake District Calvert Trust has been delivering challenging outdoor adventure holidays for people with disabilities. They offer residential breaks for schools, groups, families and individuals at their specialist centre near Keswick. All programmes are accessible to people of all ages, including those with the most complex needs for which most outdoor centres cannot cater.
Over the last two years, the Trust has been fundraising to redevelop their bothy, which is leased from the National Trust and situated next to the Bowderstone near Grange.
Through their fundraising efforts and the generosity of the a number of organisations, including the Wainwright Society, work began in 2017 on a £40,000 project to turn the dilapidated building into functional and wheelchair-accessible accommodation. The accommodation comprises a sleeping area with bunks for up to 12 people, a communal area, a toilet and an accessible shower room, plus a separate kitchen. The bothy has both running water and electricity throughout, log-burners in both the sleeping room and the communal area, and the kitchen features an electric hob and fridge.


The paint is now dry and the bothy is open to hire on a night-by-night basis for sole use by mountaineering clubs, schools and youth organisations for £100 per night. Although it’s fully accessible, the bothy is not restricted to disability groups.
If you would like to know more about hiring the bothy (or the Calvert Trust’s other self-catering accomodation) for your group or organisation, you can contact them direct on 017687 72255 or visit www.calvertlakes.org.uk/what-we-do/coach-house-and-bothy/.