[2] Bowness Knott gives good views of Ennerdale Water and is an easy climb from the car park which lies at its foot.

Historians have also found evidence of an old (possibly Middle Ages) field system on the lower southern slopes of Great Borne below the crags and scree.

To the east Great Borne is connected to the neighbouring fell of Starling Dodd by a ridge, while the western slopes descend quickly to the low ground of the west Cumbrian plain.

Great Borne is customarily climbed from the Ennerdale side of the fell, with the car park beneath Bowness Knott being the usual starting point.

The route follows Rake Beck for a short distance and skirts the Herdus crags on the eastern side to gain the summit.