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Britain > Lake District > Keswick

A small town located in one of the Lake District's most beautiful areas
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Highlights
Beautiful Lake
Walking Trails
Unique Museums
Keswick Market
Skiddaw
Keswick is a small town in the Lake District, historically known as being the site of a local cheese market. It's home to less than 5,000 people, but despite its small size and quiet location, Keswick is actually a vibrant and fascinating place, full of interesting things to do.
The market is still here, although nowadays it sells a lot more than just cheese. It takes place every Saturday in the dead centre of the town, in front of an eye-catching building called Moot Hall. This is Keswick's main event, but there are usually plenty of other things going on throughout the year, including annual film, jazz, and beers festivals. There is also a choice of several unusual museums to visit.

Moot Hall
Photo Katherine_Davis
The most well-known of these was probably Cars of the Stars. This automobile museum focused on well known vehicles from film and television, and its collection is second to none. It houses KITT from Knightrider, several Batmobiles, Del Boy's 3-wheeled Reliant, and many more. The cars are displayed within an appropriate film set, giving them just the right atmosphere. Unfortunately, this museum is currently closed.
Another popular place to visit is the Pencil Museum. Graphite was actually discovered very close to here, meaning that the world's first pencils were made in this very area. Keswick is still the location of a major pencil factory, and the museum is housed just next door. It explains about the manufacturing process, from the very first step to the last. The star attraction is the world's longest colouring pencil, which measures nearly 8 metres. There is also a drawing area, meaning that you're free to create your own masterpieces if you start feeling creative.
Close by to Keswick's Main Street lies another attraction, which can certainly be described as "eye-catching" - in more ways than one! This is the Puzzling Place, a museum dedicated to baffling optical illusions. There are several rooms, all of which are guaranteed to confuse you completely. There is also a hologram room, as well as a dedicated puzzle area, where you can test your wits against a series of tricky brainteasers.

Dog and Gun

Photo mcmorgan08 (cc)
Located just off the Market Square, this traditional, friendly and unpretentious pub is deservedly popular with a wide ranging clientele, for it's beer, food and atmosphere. Bar food is served all day and the renowned Hungarian Goulash is a speciality. A guest ale is rotated alongside Theakstons and Yeates. 2 Lake Road, Keswick, CA12 5BT.

The Square Orange
Offering true continental cafe culture in the lake district. Specialising in fresh coffee and authentic stone baked pizza the cafe also offers a selection of local and continental beer and great wines. Excellent friendly service the Square Orange is a true gem. St Johns Street Keswick, CA12 5AS.
All of Keswick's interesting attractions are set against the backdrop of Derwent Water, which is known as one of the Lake District's most beautiful areas. The water is surrounded by wooded hills and fells, including Skiddaw, England's fourth-highest peak. Dozens of walking trails cover the hillsides, providing the perfect method for seeing the jaw-dropping views. Getting to the various different paths is easy, thanks to the convenient network of ferries and water taxis. Boat hire is also available for the nautically inclined.
Keswick is one of the most unique towns in the entire Lake District, and with it being situated right next to one of the most beautiful lakes, its easy to see why many people make this their primary destination within the entire National Park.
The town is also host to The Keswick Convention, the country's oldest bible conference that started in 1875. It runs for 3 weeks every July and August and is attended by several thousand visitors.

Skiddaw

Skiddaw from Derwent Water
Photo hughmiller99
From the Vale of Keswick, Skiddaw (931m, 3,054ft) and its outlying peaks are outlined spectacularly against the sky. Lake District expert Alfred Wainwright said they look like they're lining up for a family photograph. Just as the mountain dominates the view, it's name has taken over the area. Skiddaw Forest is close by, and Skiddaw House is a converted youth hostel to the east. The traditional tourist route starts at the town of Keswick. It's a relatively easy trail, so you'll hardly notice that you're climbing the fourth-tallest mountain in the country. Along the way you can make easy detours to several other summits, like Latrigg or Little Man. In fact, there's a car park just next to the top of Latrigg that cuts out around 200 metres of ascent! This is a popular path though, so if you were hoping to get a taste of the wilderness it's better to start from the north or east.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Photo Nick Woolley (cc)
Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric and dramatically sited of all British stone circles with panoramic views and the mountains of Helvelyn and High Seat as a back drop. Castlerigg is located 2 miles east of Keswick and owned by English Heritage. Access is free and it is open at any reasonable time.

Bowder Stone

Photo Chris Ibbotson (cc)
One of Lakelands most famous features, this 2000 ton stone, some 30 feet high and 50 feet across rests in a state of delicate balance. It did not topple down from the mountainside like most visitors assume, nor is it a local rock. It was most likely carried here from Scotland by the glaciers of the ice age. A ladder allows you to climb to the top of the stone. It is located a short walk from the National Trust car park on the Keswick to Borrowdale road near Grange.
Visitor Information
Keswick Tourist Information Centre, Moot Hall, Market Square, Keswick, CA12 5JR. Tel: 01768 772645
The Pencil Museum is open daily from 9:30am to 5pm (extended peak hours). Entry costs around £5. Southey Works, Keswick, CA12 5NG. Tel: 01768 773 626

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