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Crow Park is an open, green space in the town of Keswick, offering wide views across Derwentwater, Cat Bells and the Borrowdale Valley in the distance. Also prominent is Derwent Island, complete with an 18th century house, boathouse and manicured grounds, which is privately rented. The park is sandwiched between Isthmus Wood to the west and Hope Park to the north. Equally impressive are the views looking north towards Skiddaw.
The park provides a place for runners and other sporting activities, as well as a place to sit back and relax with a picnic. Be aware there may be sheep grazing from time to time, so this should be considered if you plan on using this space. In addition, various waterfowl swim and feed along the shore here. (read more)
Hope Park is a medium-sized park on the southern fringe of the popular town of Keswick and it's partner lake, Derwentwater. It is named after the benefactor Sir Percy Hope, who dedicated the land to the local community in 1925, wishing to provide "a pleasure ground and garden for recreation and enjoyment." Today, it provides a community space with various family-related activities including pitch and putt golf, a nature trail, a small floral garden, picnic areas, a bird hide, ice cream kiosk and dog-friendly café. (read more)
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Grange, also known as Grange in Borrowdale, is a small, picturesque village in the Borrowdale Valley, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Keswick. It is connected via the B5289 road, which runs parallel with Derwentwater and continues on to the village of Borrowdale, Honister Pass and eventually Buttermere and Crummock Water. It lies at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by Maiden Moor (575m) and High Spy (646m) on the west, Castle Crag (290m) to the south and Grange Fell (415m) to the east. The village is accessed by the double-arched stone bridge over the River Derwent, built in 1675. There are places to stay here and a small cafe provides a rest stop and gastronomical delights for the weary walker and cyclist. (read more)
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Stable Hills are mid 18th century farmhouse cottages located on the eastern shore of Derwentwater immediately south of The Ings in Strandshag Bay. The cottages sit on a perfectly situated plot that is quintessentially Lake District, set amongst the natural backdrop of mixed woodland, crag and lake. The land from Crow Park in Keswick down to Ashness Gate is owned by the National Trust, including that of Stable Hills. It was acquired on 13 September, 1929, from Sir Noton and Lady Barclay. The land and buildings of Stable Hills have intrinsic archaeological value. (read more)
Rampsholme Island, also known as Rampsholm and Ramps Holme, is the smallest of the four main islands of Derwentwater, the other three comprising of Derwent Island, Lord's Island and St Herbert's Island. Rampsholme and Lord's Island formed part of Castlerigg Manor and the Earls of Derwentwater's estates. Unlike Lord's Island, Rampsholme does not have any structural remains as it was not used as a place of residence. The other three islands have all had some form of habitable structures on them; the only one today is the 18th century house on Derwent Island, and rented out to private residents so boat landing is not allowed here. The National Trust owns all four of the islands. Boat users are welcome to land on Rampsholme Island, however, overnight camping is not allowed. (read more)
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Elter Water is a small lake on the main thoroughfare to the valley of Great Langdale where the dominant and striking Langdale Pikes are situated. It is connected via the characterful A593 and lies approximately 3.5 miles west of Ambleside and half a mile southeast from the village of Elterwater. Both the lake and the village are popular with walkers and cyclists alike, which can be busy all year round but particularly so during the more clement months.
The smallest of the lakes in the Lake District, it is by no means lacking in other areas, offering stunning views from the eastern shore looking towards Lingmoor Fell and the aforementioned Pikes. It is made of three distinct sections and only has a maximum depth of around 6 metres (20 ft). The River Brathay flows through the southern part of the lake at The Nab, while the Great Langdale Beck flows from the north. They converge at the eastern section of the lake before continuing southeast towards Skelwith Force waterfalls at Skelwith Bridge and on towards Ambleside and Windermere. (read more)
The Ings is a wooded wetland area in Strandshag Bay at Derwentwater, near Keswick. It lies adjacent to Stable Hills farmhouse and opposite Lord's Island, once home to the Earls of Derwentwater and Radcliffe families in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Derwentwater Walk, a ten mile circular route around the lake, goes through The Ings on a raised boardwalk due the nature of the land. The route is waymarked and passes through ancient woodlands, owned by the National Trust. (read more)
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Strandshag Bay, also known as Strands Hag Bay and Strands Hagg Bay, is an irregular-shaped bay of medium size on the eastern side of Derwentwater, close to the rocky promontory of Friar's Crag, The Ings (wooded wetland) and Stable Hills farmhouse. The bay offers views across the lake towards Brandlehow Park, the first tract of land acquired by the National Trust in the Lake District to prevent housing developments, Cat Bells, Causey Pike and Borrowdale, depending on how far round the bay the viewer is situated. (read more)
Esthwaite Water is a privately-owned, picturesque lake, nestled between Windermere and Coniston Water in relatively lowland areas, set against a backdrop of beautiful, rolling hills, with coniferous and deciduous woodlands to the east, south and west. The 11th largest lake from our list has a surface area of 100 hectares (247 acres), 7 kilometres (4.35 miles) of shoreline, and has a maximum depth of 15.5 metres (50 feet). Historically, it used to be in Lancashire until 1974 when a major Government reform of the counties took place under the Local Government Act 1972. Lancashire lost all of its possession in the Lake District, and the ceremonial county of Cumbria became the new governing county. (read more)
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Loughrigg Tarn is a small body of water in an elevated position, located at the entrance of Great Langdale valley, sitting peacefully out sight to any passers-by unless they happen to be traversing the peaks of Loughrigg Fell. It is situated to the south-west below Loughrigg Fell, with the hamlet of Skelwith Bridge to the south and the smallest of the lakes, Elter Water, and the village of Elterwater, to the west. The tarn and the surrounding land of the High Close estate, once a hamlet of cottages, was originally owned by the Benson family, an then later the Balme family who extended and refurbished the farmhouse between 1866-76. Its 537 acres has been under the care of the National Trust since 1952. On 1 January, 1954, it was leased to the Youth Hostel Association who have been receiving guests ever since. (read more)
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Lord's Island, also Lords Island and Island of Derwentwatre is one of the four main islands that populate Derwentwater. The other three are Derwent Island, St Herbert's Island and Rampsholme Island, of which the latter two can be seen in this photo, centre-right and centre respectively. Lord's Island is located in Strandshag Bay with wide open views across the lake towards Cat Bells (451m), Walla Crag (379m) and the Borrowdale Valley. It is owned by the National Trust, acquired on 13 March, 1922. (read more)
Buttermere is a photogenic and naturally beautiful ribbon lake, set amongst the backdrop of striking fells and picturesque countryside, with "some of the finest glacial features of the district." The 12th largest lake from our list is located at the head of the Buttermere Valley where it sits in a glacial trough along with its neighbours Crummock Water and Loweswater; the only valley in Lakeland with three lakes. The main settlement is the village of Buttermere. It was named after the lake. The civil parish of the same name encompasses a large area including Honister in the east, the southern aspect of Dale Head, the northern aspect of High Stile and Haystacks, Grasmoor and Whiteside in their entirety, and both Buttermere and Crummock Water. (read more)
The lake's origins relate directly to the last glacial period and the effects of a glacially eroded valley that possibly linked Bassenthwaite Lake with that of Derwentwater as one much larger body of water, seen similarly with Buttermere and Crummock Water. Today, they are connected only by the River Derwent, which meanders through the long-ago silted up alluvial plain that separates the two lakes. It is the only body of water in the Lake District with the word lake in its title. Every other lake uses either mere or water. The name Bassenthwaite means Bastun's clearing where Bassen comes from the Anglo-French surname Bastun, which originally meant stick, and thwaite is related to Old Norse þveit meaning a clearing or more accurately, forest land cleared for agriculture or habitation. The lake took its name from the village of Bassenthwaite.(read more)
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Easedale Tarn is set amongst the backdrop of fairly steep-sided crags that offers the walker a pleasant scene upon arrival. The view across the tarn is a wide, open basin, with Eagle Crag, Blea Crag, Slapestone Edge, Tarn Crag, and Greathead Crag all seamlessly blending in with one another to give the appearance of a continuous ridge from the northern periphery to the south-western extremes. These craggy peaks provide the viewer with photo-worthy opportunities to capture the entire catchment of this somewhat irregular-shaped, but no less intriguing, cirque tarn. (read more)
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Greathead Crag is part of the eastern flanks of Wainwright's Tarn Crag, located on the northern side of Easedale Tarn. This combined ridge dominates the view upon reaching the top of Sourmilk Gill. A there-and-back-walk, starting from Grasmere, incorporates both Tarn and Greathead Crags, reaching an elevation of 551 metres (1,808 feet) at the summit of Tarn Crag. The view from the ridge is far-reaching, especially from the cairn at the viewpoint, and the actual summit of Tarn Crag. From here the Langdale Pikes can be seen. (read more)
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The Bowder Stone, also known as Bowderstone, is a natural wonder in its own right and a popular, highly photographed visitor attraction. Owned and in the care of the National Trust, this huge chunk of green-grey andesite lava, 18 metres long by 8.18 metres high, and weighing approximately 1273 tonnes, is believed to have fallen from Bowder Crag above its current position as a result of a massive rock failure where thousands of rocks tumbled down the slope below the crag. The evidence of this is provided by the rock type of the boulder itself, the rock type of Bowder Crag and the distinctive structural, cross-sectional features on both, which show they are an exact match. This suggests that the boulder, without doubt, came from the crag above. (read more)
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Hodge Close Quarry is a flooded, green slate quarry, nestled amongst some beautiful countryside but with obvious signs of historic mining works having taken place throughout the Tilberthwaite Valley. Mining probably started around the 1780s, and with a few periods of inactivity, continued through until 1964. It is located 4.6 kilometres (2.9 miles) north of Coniston and 12 kilometres (7.4 miles) west of Ambleside. It has become a popular, well-trodden area for hikers and, over the years, a key location for rock climbing, abseiling, and scuba diving. Hodge close is attached to neighbouring Parrock Quarry, also open to the elements, but here nature has fully reclaimed the rocky features of once busy mining operations, giving the appearance of something out of Conan Doyle’s, The Lost World. (read more)
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Friar's Crag is a small promontory on Derwentwater, approximately 0.7 miles (1.2km) from the centre of Keswick. It is a popular spot for the casual walker and those that wish to walk around the perimeter of the lake or climb any of the surrounding fells. The views across Derwentwater are breathtaking in any season and Friar's Crag makes the perfect location for photography, amateur or professional alike. Friars' Crag is owned by the National Trust, acquired on 13 March, 1922. (read more)
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The River Brathay, synonymous with its meandering calms near Elter Water, embarks on a journey from the fells to the east of Little Langdale to the popular shores of Windermere at Waterhead, near Ambleside. The Brathay may not be sizeable in length but what it lacks here, it makes up for in other ways, especially as it passes through some beautiful countryside, taking in the sights of valley, tarn, ford, weir and waterfall. Most of the river’s length cannot be walked as there are limited paths that lie parallel to or near its banks. There are some sections at Colwith Force, Elter Water, Skelwith Force and Skelwith Bridge that offer relaxed, peaceful walking and, in particular, some interesting photographic opportunities. (read more)
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Skelwith Bridge is a small village located in the civil parish of Skelwith, 2.5 miles west of Ambleside. Accessed via the A593, it lies at the opening of the Great Langdale valley, where it forks with the B5343 towards the village of Elterwater. The village provides visitors with accommodation and refreshments by way of the Skelwith Bridge Hotel and Chesters by the River Cafe. There is limited parking available for both. Multiple routes for walkers and cyclists can be taken from the village. (read more)
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Elterwater Bridge is a beautifully constructed early 18th Century stone bridge for vehicle and pedestrian use in the small village of Elterwater. The single segmental arch is constructed with stone and spans Great Langdale Beck. The current bridge was rebuilt in 1702 and widened some time afterwards. It was first listed as Grade II on 12 January, 1967. The bridge provides a main thoroughfare through the village, connecting the B5343 to the north, which is the main road into Great Langdale, and the A593 to the south, passing through narrow country lanes and woodland. (read more)
Hartsop Hall is a Grade I listed building and a working farm with a flock of 800 Swaledale sheep and a herd of 30 Aberdeen Angus suckler cows, set against 3000 acres of land. It is located on the south-western side of Brothers Water in the Patterdale valley, a short distance from the village of Hartsop. The farm is accessed via the A592 Kirkstone Pass and Sykeside Camping Park. It is in the care of the National Trust. (read more)
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Colwith Force is a small-medium sized waterfall, located on the River Brathay approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Skelwith Bridge and 0.8 miles (1.4 km) east of Little Langdale. Both Colwith Force and Skelwith Force are popular with visitors throughout the year and are easily accessed by foot using a small section of the Cumbria Way. There are good walkable paths and single-track country lanes to explore the area further, reaching into Little Langdale and Lingmoor Fell to the west and Loughrigg Fell and Loughrigg Tarn to the east. (read more)
Stang End is a collection of six farm buildings on elevated land near the River Brathay in the valley of Little Langdale, with views of the hamlet of the same name where the Three Shires Inn is located. The farm complex can be reached on foot via Little Langdale, Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater, usually by a popular circular walking route that includes a small section of the Cumbria Way. Other places of interest along the route are Skelwith Force and Colwith Force, both small but photogenic waterfalls, Cathedral Quarry (also Hodge Close Quarry slightly further away) and Slater's Bridge, the delightful 17th century packhorse bridge that is always worthy of a few photos, with stunning views of Lingmoor Fell in the distance. (read more)
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Skelwith Force is a small but perfectly proportional waterfall, located on the River Brathay by the village of Skelwith Bridge just off the A593, approximately 2.5 miles west of Ambleside. It is popular with visitors and from this location there are excellent walking opportunities for those who wish to explore the area further, including it's neighbours, Colwith Force, Loughrigg Tarn and Loughrigg Fell. (read more)