A Guide to Derwent Water in the Lake District

With its plethora of cafes and outdoor equipment shops, Keswick (pronounced “Kes-ick”) is the largest town within the Lake District National Park and a popular place for many visitors heading into or out of Borrowdale. A large array of artisanal gift shops and small art galleries also make this attractive town a destination in its own right. With a large pedestrianised high street, a trip to Keswick can make for pleasant afternoon browsing, often blending shopping with street music or the local market. Perhaps best of all are the mountainous panoramas at almost every turn.

The Herdwick, Lakeland’s famous sheep, even has its own brand. The Herdy shops are deservedly popular, selling quality gifts in a range of eye-catching colours.

Once Keswick’s courthouse and meeting room, the prominent Moot Hall is now a visitor information centre. It also serves as both the start and finish for runners attempting the Bob Graham Round. A much coveted fell-running challenge tackling 42 fells (hills) across 106 km/66 miles within 24 hours, this race is not for the faint-hearted. Should you see anyone clad in running gear standing primed and ready with spectators gathered around, it’s a sure thing that an attempt is underway. With record times getting shorter and shorter, a mightily impressive sub twelve and a half hours is the one to beat.

Interestingly, the stone used to build Moot Hall came from the ruined home of the Earls of Derwent Water, who lived on the island now known as Lord’s Island (learn more at the Keswick Launch Company).

Keswick offers multiple green open spaces and park areas within a few minutes from the shops. With its riverside path and sports greens, Victorian–landscaped Fitz Park is a tranquil retreat from the bustling high street. The Keswick Museum, tucked away behind Café West on the roadside of the park, is worth a visit. Hope Park is another haven for those heading towards the lake – the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Theatre by the Lake

If there is a show on when you are in town, a visit to the friendly Theatre by the Lake, just fifteen minutes from Keswick, is an added highlight. There is often a programme of outdoors-related shows and plays. The Keswick Launches also leave from the same area.

Derwent Water Islands

Unlike the long ribbons of the bigger lakes such as Ullswater, Derwent Water is more of a quirky oval shape. At 5 km/3 miles long and only 22 m/72 ft at its deepest point, the lake contains four small islands scattered across her northern waters. Formed from glacial deposits more than 10,000 years ago, these grassy, tree-covered havens, known as drumlin islands, are a distinct geological contrast to many of the rockier islands elsewhere in the National Park.*

Derwent Island, the only inhabited island on the lake, is a private residence owned by the National Trust and closed to the public for 360 days of the year. Lord’s Island, named for the Earls of Derwent Water who used to live there, is a protected area for wildlife and the National Trust request that it is not landed on. However, both Rampsholme and St Herbert’s, the largest of the islands, are open access for responsible lake users.

*For more information about the geology and composition of the Lakeland lakes then Alan Smith’s The Big Lakes of Lakeland is an informative and accessible read.

Love the sound of Keswick and the surrounding area of Derwent Water and the Lake District? Join a small group tour of Northumberland and the Lake District to explore the local region and more. Self drive options are available too – learn more here.

View Trip

Distance: 11km | 7 miles

This 117 km/73 mile National Trail drops into Borrowdale via the hamlet of Stonethwaite from the neighbouring valley of Langdale. This section of the Cumbria Way offers an exceptionally pleasant hike. Walk amidst mixed deciduous woodland, along the river Derwent and on the western shores of the lake.

Parking is available throughout Borrowdale, but perhaps the most relaxing way is to take a bus from Keswick to Rosthwaite and follow the Cumbria Way back. This route passes Brandelhow Bay, home to the sculpture of the hands, ‘Entrust’. This contemporary outdoor art honours the first place in the Lake District protected by the National Trust (in 1902).

Be sure to look out for the famous ‘Teddy in the Window’ near Manesty Woods and take a few moments to read some of his postcards.

Throughout the Lake District, the hardy Herdwick sheep, with their placid nature and teddy-bear-like faces are a truly iconic sight. Look out for the ewes (adult females) with their distinctive grey fleeces and contrasting black lambs while hiking Cat Bells or exploring the Derwent Water area.

When passing by Lord’s Island on the far shore, admire spring primroses from a distance. However, visitors are respectfully asked not to land, and to avoid paddling between the island and the shore.

From late spring into early autumn, the pungent smell of wild garlic permeates pockets of woodland around the lake. Rampsholme Island, which is named from an Old Norse translation of ‘Wild Garlic Island,’ has swathes of this delicious, forageable plant.

In late summer or early autumn, whether you are hiking on the fells or admiring them from below, magenta-coloured heather carpets the slopes of many hills around Derwent Water. Caught just right, its sweet, rose-like scent will rise up on a gentle breeze.

Canadian Geese and other migratory birds are also a familiar sight across the lake.