Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Visited July 15, 2023

Started at the Derwent Water shore at the Keswick launch https://keswick-launch.co.uk/

13-15 degrees Celsius forecasted (55-59 degrees Fahrenheit), mix of sun, rainbows, and rain (mostly rain); 6:36 AM-2:05 PM

Restroom facilities were noted as available on some of the maps but I did not see any public toilets.

Keswick is very dog friendly.

I walked 16.58 miles total. The walk is described as a ten-mile walk but I added a few miles to explore Ashness Bridge and then Lodore Falls while I was in the area. Until 10:00 AM, I had the trail mostly to myself and saw only saw a few people; most were walking their dogs.

The temperature was cool enough that I was glad to be wearing waterproof jacket and pants. It was much chillier than Ireland was last summer.

The trail posts were not as helpful as one might hope. Many just stated "Public Footpath" but I went clockwise around the lake so I just kept the lake to my right. One helpful note: when the trail disappears near Lodore Hotel, cross and walk down the road a ways to pick up the trail as it crosses Chinese Bridge.

Parking: There is limited parking available. I walked or used the bus and ferry. The bus schedule is available in the entryway at the Booths Grocery Store in Keswick and the ferry schedule is available online: https://keswick-launch.co.uk/cruises/times/.

There was very little trash along the trails.

There were some mosquitos but just in a small area near the water during the first hour. After that the rain came and the temperatures dropped which I think kept the midges away. I had bought some Smidge at a gift shop in Glen Coe, Scotland, but never needed to use it.

I would not recommend this trail for strollers. I did not see any on the trail. I did see bikes with kiddie trailers but they parked at the bottom of the trail to the Lodore Falls. I do not know if they used the road for most of their travels and had just pulled off; I never saw them again during my travels.

I saw a variety of wildflowers and ferns; I saw rainbows, ducks, cattle, llamas, sheep, seabirds, trees, and two roe deer running across a field.

For more information: https://www.keswick.org/what-to-do/walking-routes/derwentwaterwalk

and https://www.wainwrightwalking.co.uk/a-circuit-of-derwentwater-2/

For a map: https://www.keswick.org/UserContent/doc/11038/derwentwater%20walk%20downloadable%20map.pdf

Nearby:

The Royal Oak The Royal Oak, Main St, Keswick CA12 5HZ - Call 017687 73135

https://www.royaloakkeswick.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjww7KmBhAyEiwA5-PUStiWAyKJwW-tZ-u9NRmCG0-_LmCmsG4tu70BL_RnN4h9uh40KBNlXhoCvUgQAvD_BwE

Just a few minutes' walk from the boat launch and the cottage where I was staying for the week. They offer rooms and based on the dining service, I would be interested in checking out their rooms if I ever visit Keswick again.

I ate dinner here more than once during the week. The food and beverages were excellent. The service was friendly and spot on. The place is very dog friendly. I did not have a dog but I witnessed many dogs visiting during the week. I stopped in early in the day to make dinner reservations or made them a day ahead. This is strongly recommended during the high tourist season.

Ferry Schedule Posted at Keswick Launch @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Keswick Launch @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Ducks @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Rainbow after first shower of the day @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Ducks @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Many nice benches with a view on the eastern side of Derwent Water @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

John Ruskin Memorial at Friar's Crag @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/ruskin-memorial/

Backside of John Ruskin Memorial @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

To see the Ruskin Memorial, the path diverges to the left for a moment but it was easy to retrace my steps and pick up the trail again. @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

One of many gates to navigate. Some latches had to be pulled up. Some pulled to the side. Most gates were unique. @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Bench and Rainbow @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Tree @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Gate @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Old Tree with character @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

The view from the bench that is pictured to the right. @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Bench with a view @ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Keswick, Cumbria, UK

Boardwalk @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gate @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Unripe berries @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

This is the field where I saw small roe deer running away. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sheep @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Label on Lebanon Cedar Tree @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Huge tree to the right of the path...helpfully labelled so that I knew it was a Lebanon cedar @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Berries @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Yarrow @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Mossy Stone Wall @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ferns @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sign Posts @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Small Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

National Trust Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bus Stop Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Centenary Stone Walk Marker @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Derwent Water @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ragwort @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

View from the bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Centenary Stone in Calfclose Bay @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Centenary Stone in Calfclose Bay celebrates the founding of the National Trust 100 years prior @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

https://www.walklakes.co.uk/walk_243.html

Flower @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Small Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Pass through area @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Tree roots: One of the many reasons I would not recommend this trail for strollers @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Not sure where the trail went through here. I followed the visible trail to the road and walked along it for a ways. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

If there was a trail through and up, I did not see it. Maybe because the rain was bucketing down at this point? @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Not sure if I was near the trail @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

I, and my camera, were completely soaked at this point. The road to the left lead to Ashness Bridge. If I was doing this again, I would take the bus or ferry to here and make a visit to Ashness Bridge as a separate trip. The upside of doing it early on a rainy morning was that I had it to myself. @ Derwent Water Walk and Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Water drainage area? @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ferry Timetable Posted @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Jetty for the ferry at Ashness @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Jetty for the ferry at Ashness

Jetty for the ferry at Ashness @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Road to Ashness Bridge near the Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

I followed the road to Ashness Bridge near the Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ashness Bridge, near the Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Near Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

View from the Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Flowers @ Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Near Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Bark House Mountain Hut, Ashness Bridge (built 1964), Cumbria, UK

Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Bark House Mountain Hut, Ashness Bridge (built 1964), Cumbria, UK

View from the Bark House Mountain Hut, Ashness Bridge, Cumbria, UK

Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

National Trust Ashness Bridge Information Board, Cumbria, UK

Belted Galloways (a bit far away) @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Faint rainbow as I returned to Derwent Water and the path after visiting Ashness Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Rainbow over Derwent Water @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Rainbow @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bus Stop Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Rainbow @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ducks @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Flowers @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

This was not the path (further on is a section where the path DOES look like this) but it was the water going under the bridge pictured above. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Rose @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

This was deeper than it looked. Wet feet and socks resulted. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Cattle and Sheep @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Livestock @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sheep @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

National Trust Kettlewell Signage @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Swans as seen from the shore at the Kettlewell Car Park @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Kettlewell Car Park Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Footpath sign: I crossed the road from the Kettlewell Car Park, @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Holly @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Ferns and moss @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Moss and ferns @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Footpath sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Tree covered in vines @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Fern @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Lodore Falls near Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Lodore Hotel (the falls are above and behind it)

walk along the road here

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

path from the road to Chinese Bridge (this was under water a few days later) @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Herdwick sheep @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Herdwick sheetp @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Chinese Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

The River Derwent @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

The River Derwent as viewed from Chinese Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gravel and footwear has worn this etching. I could not read it. Chinese Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Chinese Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Flower @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

The duckboards @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gate at the duckboards @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Boardwalk path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gate @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Small Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

A special bench in Manesty Woods (There is a book titled Max the Miracle Dog by Kerry Irving and this website which may explain: https://www.maxoutinthelakedistrict.co.uk/.) @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Manesty Wood @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Duck @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Fern-bordered path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Building @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Footpath Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Teddy in the Window @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Cumbria has a history tied to mining. This is one of the spoil heaps. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Spoil heap @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

One of the boat launches @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Boat Launch @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

A few of these picnic benches are near the southern shore of Derwent Water @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Tree @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Small Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Traffic Counters @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Big Tree @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Entrust Hands in Brandlehow Park sculpted to commemorate the centenary of the National Trust’s first ever land purchase in the Lake District https://keswick-launch.co.uk/explore/listing/entrust/ @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Entrust Hands in Brandlehow Park @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Entrust Hands @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bench and Jetty @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gate @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Jetty @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Gate @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path and Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sign post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Catbells Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Llamas @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Footpath signs @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Signs @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Red Squirrel Sign @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Signs @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Footpath signs @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Bridge @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

@ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path Signpost @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sheep @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sheep with a view @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Path with gate and beautiful tree @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Cumbria Way Signpost @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

July 19, 2023: Returned a few days later and the days of rain had flooded the trail by Chinese Bridge. It was over 6 inches deep in places. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

July 19, 2023: Chinese Bridge behind me @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

July 19, 2023 @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

July 19, 2023 Tree Roots @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

Sign Post @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK

July 19, 2023: I saw thesetrees with exposed roots on Saturday, but there were people by them so today I was able to get a picture. @ Derwent Water Walk, Cumbria, UK