Visit Derwentwater
Keswick is a fantastic place to explore, whether you want to get out on the fells or stay closer to the town centre. One of the main attractions that
If you head down towards Derwentwater from Keswick town centre, you’ll come to Hope Park, a brilliant stopping off point with plenty to do for all ages. Hope Park was once used for grazing railway coach
If you’d like to relax and make the most of Hope Park’s beautiful surroundings, visit Lady Hope’s Garden for some peace and
Hope Park is also home to a variety of traditional park games, including a very popular 18 hole crazy golf course, a 9 hole pitch and putt, putting green, and boules pit for playing Petanque. The newest addition to the games at Hope Park
You can hire a Twizy from Hope Park - Twizys are electric two-seater cars with no engine, exhaust, or fuel system, so they’re a great way to get around Keswick whilst also being eco-friendly. Hope Park’s Twizys are named ‘Yan’ and ‘Tyan’ - which if you didn’t know, is traditional Cumbrian dialect for ‘one’ and ‘two’ - and are available to hire at £20 an hour, or £40 for a full day.
After having a go at some of the park games, you’re sure to have worked up an appetite. You can visit the nearby Café Hope, famous for its delicious homemade cakes! Café Hope serves hot and cold drinks, as well as light meals and snacks, with everything from bacon butties for breakfast, to jacket potatoes, soup, pizzas and pies, as well as kids’ meal boxes. Sweet treats are served all day long, including delicious sponge cakes and tray bakes, as well as lovely homemade scones.
Heading down towards the lake, take a moment to admire the stunning views of Derwentwater and the surrounding fells. Derwentwater is extremely photogenic - this is a great opportunity to stop and take a selfie for our #keswickreallakes campaign! If you snap a photo of yourself while you’re out and about around Keswick, and share it to our Facebook page, you could be featured in our campaign, aimed at sharing real visitors’ experiences of Keswick.
Feeding the ducks down by the lake is always fun for kids, and the Derwentwater ducks are always happy to be fed. We recommend buying a bag of duck feed from the nearby National Trust shop, as feeding bread to ducks is actually very bad for them! You can also hire a boat or book onto a lake cruise from Keswick Launch Co., as their office is based on the
While exploring the lakeshore, you’ll probably spot Derwent Island and House. This is the only inhabited island in the Lake District which is open to the public five days a year, with tours available through the National Trust. If you’d like to visit Derwent Island, keep an eye on the National Trust website to see when their guided tours are.
The Theatre by the Lake is situated just a short walk from Derwentwater, and is a fantastic place to visit if you feel like watching a show whilst visiting Keswick. Theatre by the Lake stages up to nine of its own productions each year, as well as hosting festivals throughout the year, such as the Keswick Mountain Festival, and welcoming touring theatre, music and dance shows. You can see what’s on at Theatre by the Lake during your stay in Keswick by visiting their website.
As you can see, there’s plenty to do around Derwentwater for people of all ages, whether you want to relax and take in the idyllic surroundings, or want to do as much as possible within walking distance of the lake. We hope that this blog post has given you some ideas for things to do; for any further information you might need, take a look at our website: www.visitkeswick.com.
Subscribe to our blog to get it directly to your in box.
Read our other Visit Keswick blog posts
- Our Guide to Choosing Accommodation in Keswick
- 5 TV and Film Locations in Keswick
- The Best Time to Visit Keswick
- Fishing In Keswick
- All About the 5 Valleys in and Around Keswick
- The Cumbrian Dictionary: A Guide to Our Dialect and Slang
- All About the Islands of Derwentwater
- Our Guide to Autumn 2020 in Keswick
- 5 of the Best Picnic Spots in Keswick
- Know Before You Go - Enjoy Summer Safely
- We've Missed You
- Come Back to Keswick
- According To Kids: How To Spend A Day In Keswick
- 6 Farms In Keswick Where You Can Stay
- 5 Beautiful Leap Year Locations to Propose in Keswick
- Our Guide to Spring 2020 in Keswick
- Keswick Festivals In 2020
- How To Spend 48 Hours in Keswick
- 6 Villages Around Keswick and What To Do When You Visit
- 24 Reasons To Visit Keswick In December
- A Guide To Winter In Keswick
- The Best Shops In Keswick Where You Can Buy Online
- Accessible Trips To Keswick
- A Guide To Autumn In Keswick
- Keswick School of Industrial Arts
- The 6 Shops In Keswick You Absolutely Have To Visit
- How To Have a Sustainable Holiday in Keswick
- 8 Things To Do In Keswick If You Don’t Like The Great Outdoors
- Some Of Our Favourite Independent Shops, Cafes, And Restaurants In Keswick
- According To Locals: The Best Places To Visit In Keswick
- Keswick’s Parks: Where To Go And What To Do
- A Guide To Summer In Keswick
- Fantastic Places To Eat in Keswick
- Our Guide To Fell Walking: How To Stay Safe On The Fells
- Visit Whinlatter Forest
- 5 Fun Days Out For Families Around Keswick
- Adventurous Days Out in Keswick
- How the Lake District Inspired These 7 Famous People
- Holidaying to Keswick: Everything You Need To Bring
- How To Get Around The Lakes From Keswick
- Where to Spot Lake District Wildlife
- The History of Keswick
- Things to do in Keswick When It’s Raining
- Visit Derwentwater
- Autumn colours in Borrowdale
- Castlehead Walk
- Tour of Britain 2018
- Freedom Wizard
- Local Heroes: Adam Campion, Run Director at Parkrun
- Local Heroes: Yvonne Booth 10 in 10 challenge