Nearby Attractions

Watch the Ospreys fishing in Bassenthwaite Lake (April - August)

Trotters world of animals, Bassenthwaite. A wildlife experience with demonstrations

Honister slate mine. Tour underground at England's last working slate mine

The Heaton Cooper Studio, Grasmere. An exhibition of paintings and sculpture by four generations of the Heaton Cooper Family

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, Grasmere. Wordsworth's  Birthplace in Cockermouth and his home at Rydal Mount are also open to the public.

Hill Top, Near Sawrey. The 17th century farmhouse where Beatrix Potter bred herdwicks and wrote childrens stories. Now owned by the National Trust.

The Rheged Centre on the A66 near Penrith. Seven giant movie screens, 'Discovering Cumbria' show, The National Mountaineering Exhibition.

Off-road driving  in South Lakeland

Contents of this Page

 

Keswick Attractions

Nearby Attractions

St John's in the Vale Parish

Events

Getting About

Keswick Weather

Keswick Webcams

Literary Connections

Miscellaneous Links

Keswick Attractions

Apart from the obvious attractions of the lakes and fells and the usual facilities for eating, drinking and shopping (including numerous specialist shops for walking, climbing and skiing equipment) Keswick has these facilities and attractions -

The Theatre By The Lake  on the shores of Derwentwater

The Alhambra Cinema in St Johns Street.

Keswick Spa - swimming pool with water slide and wave machine 

Keswick Museum and Art Gallery in Station Road has many interesting exhibits including the musical stones. (Apr-Oct)

Keswick Pencil Museum (Pencils were invented in the Keswick area with the discovery of plumbago in Borrowdale)

Take a motor launch around Derwentwater (hourly service with seven stops) or hire a windsurfer, dingy, or kayak or cabin cruiser.

More Keswick information at www.keswick.org

Parish of St John's in the Vale, Castlerigg & Wythburn

Researching the History of the Parish

Keswick Weather

Past and present weather recorded by  Keswick Schools

Future weather - five day forecast

Mountain weather information service - two day forecast

Events

Keswick Film Festival  21 - 24 Feb 2013

Words by the Water   1 - 10 March 2013

Keswick Jazz Festival   Thu 9 May -  Sun 12 May 2013

Keswick Mountain Festival  Wed May 15th - Sun May 19th 2013

Keswick Beer Festival    Fri & Sat 7th - 8th June 2013

Keswick Midsummer Festival    30th June 2013

Keswick Christian Convention  (three weeks from mid July)

Cockermouth Agricultural Show   3rd August 

Thirlmere Flower Show    First Saturday in August

Grasmere Rushbearing   Saturday nearest St Oswalds day (5th Aug)

Bassenthwaite Regatta  1st week August

Rydal Show             mid August

Grasmere Show  (August Bank Holiday Sunday)

Keswick Agricultural Show - sadly, cancelled this year

Loweswater Show   1st Sept 2013

Borrowdale Shepherd's Meet & Show  15 Sept 2013

Buttermere  Shepherd's Meet & Show  26 Oct 2013

8 Nov 2013  Keswick Christmas Lights 0n.

1 Dec 2013   Keswick Victorian Fayre

Literary Connections

Wordsworth's Lakeland origins are well known but the other Lakes Poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge* and  Robert Southey also had strong connections with Keswick

Hugh Walpole's 'Rogue Herries' was set in the picturesque  hamlet of Watendlath.

Several of the children's novels of Arthur Ransome were set on and around Coniston Water and Winderemere. However 'Swallows and Amazons' was filmed on Derwentwater.

Ken Russell filmed parts of 'Tommy' on Walla Crag and parts of The 'Seven Veils' in the Naddle Valley.

 

*  The young and exuberant STC was probably the first of the modern fell walkers. On one occasion he walked, alone and by moonlight, from his home at Greta Hall in Keswick to Threlkeld, up Clough Head and along the tops of the Helvellyn range to Wordsworth's house in Grasmere. And this was in the days (about 1805) when it fashionable to regard the 'frightful' mountains with awe and not to venture near them without a guide.

Getting about

Those of you without cars can come by rail to Penrith or Windermere. At Windermere Rail Station catch the 555 bus outside to Keswick Get off at the "Castle Lane Road End" stop and walk back down the hill. From Penrith Rail Station catch the X4/X5 bus outside towards Workington alighting at Keswick. 

The golakes website has an  interactive map showing bus  routes and trains - also long distance walks and cycle routes - but not timetables.

Bus Timetables can be found here. The 555 Lakeslink service passes the farm on its way from Lancaster through Keswick to Carlisle . The "Dale Bottom" stop is half a mile down the hill from Low Nest. The more convenient "Castle Lane Road End" stop is a quarter mile up the hill but is not listed on the timetable.
There may be a daily National Express bus service from London, Victoria coach station to Keswick via Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Wigan (about 9 hours).
From April to October there may be a daily bus between Manchester and Keswick via Preston and Windermere.

The Mountain Goat company operates  tours by mini-bus

Derwentwater, Ullswater, Windermere  and Coniston,  all  have motor launches with regular services 

Mountain Bikes can be hired in Keswick. 

Keswick is within walking distance of the farm (about 25 minutes).

Webcams

View of Skiddaw from George Fishers


 

More Links

Dates of Easter

Archaeology of the Naddle Valley and Castlerigg Stone Circle

Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian Society

In and Around Keswick 125 years ago