Meet time 9.15am
Start time 9.30am
(Estimated finish time 4.30pm )
Distance 11-12 miles / 17.7-19.3 km
Ascent: No ascent!
Gradient: Flat to very gentle; small slopes.
Ramblers walk grading: B (moderate)
Start point: Theatre by the Lake in Keswick
Postcode: CA12 5DJ
Car parking: Plenty of spaces in the Lakeside Car Park in Keswick, CA12 5DG
It is the responsibility of each walker to make sure they understand where to park. If you are not sure where the car parking/meeting point is, you must contact the walk leader at the latest the day before the walk. You should not rely on mobile phones or postcodes. There is often no mobile reception near walk meeting points and postcodes are for the nearest place nearby but should only serve as a guideline. Please allow plenty of time to find a parking space so that walks can start promptly.
Description: Starting from the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick this walk explores the shoreline, woodland and bays around Derwent Water. We start from the north-east part of Derwent Water and travel clockwise covering first the eastern half of this mighty lake and then the even prettier western half of the lake. The route includes much lakesidewalking, many woods, streams and of course views of the Skiddaw Range, Cat Bells, Borrowdale Valley and much more. The halfway point is the village of Grange and there we will stop for lunch and visit a local café for refreshments.
For this walk Derwent Water itself is our guide as we circumambulatearound the lake clockwise. Our path follows southwards from the Theatre by the Lake and sticks close to the shoreline, we pass through the woodlands at Friar’s Crag, The Ings and along part of Borrowdale Road. From Calfclose Bay the path goes southwards for two miles with the nearby Borrowdale Road to our left, we will pass by Barrow Bay and Mary Mouth Hotel until Derwent Water narrows.
From here the path turns right away from the road to approach the River Derwent, ahead Maiden Moor dominates the scene. The path swings back towards the road and when it hits Borrowdale Road we come to Borrowdale Hotel, from there its about half a mile on and off the road as we come to Grange with the River Derwent to our right. We then move to friendly territory when we walk across the double stone-bridge to enter the village of Grange and then stop at Grange Café for a well-deserved lunch (please bring your own lunches as the café only does sweet and savoury items). In Grange the mountains surround us west, south and east while to the north the entirety of Derwent Water can be seen with the Skiddaw Range looming over in the distance.
With our loop of Derwent Water halfway complete the western (and prettier) half begins. We leave Grange to follow the Grange Road northwards for half a mile until we come to the Cumbria Way footpath which makes a beeline for the southern tip of Derwent Water. There we follow the Cumbria Way for almost two miles as it hugs the western shoreline of Derwent Water passing through the woodlands of Manesty Park and Brandelhow Park. We come to the Hawse End Outdoor Centre, by the northern foot of the Cat Bells, and continue on northwards along the Cumbria Way through fields and Overside Wood until the path connects with another road, this being the one running through the village of Portinscale, and the southern end of Portinscale.
By now we have come to the northern end of Derwent Water and we turn right from the Portinscale road, by The Derwentwater Hotel, to follow the Cumbria Way over a footbridge traversing the River Derwent (resuming again from the northern point of Derwent Water) before soon taking a right-turn to take a gravel trail as the Cumbria Way approaches Keswick; there the Skiddaw Range stands high to our north. The trail ends at Keswick where we come to the town’s western bridge over the River Greta. From there we move south-eastwards passing by the town centre to return to the Lakeside Car Park and the Theatre by the Lakethus completing the loop around Derwent Water.
Please contact Miles on 07842 783319 by 10pm on Friday 10 December if you are coming on this walk (text or phone, or message on Facebook (Miles Saunders-Priem)). This walk is suitable for dogs but please make sure you keep your dog under control as parts of the walk pass by pastures where sheep graze and a few small stretches involve walking along the side of Borrowdale Road.
Please note – This route endeavours to avoid Borrowdale Road as much as possible but there are some sections where it is unavoidable, but these do not last long.
Please check the weather and bring appropriate clothing (waterproofs and spare warm clothing), footwear and enough food and water. The leader reserves the right to turn away any walker not suitably equipped. The leader may cancel the walk or modify the route dependent on conditions.
Car sharing is now possible – please contact the walk leader to arrange.
New members: please note the walk leader may ask for more information about your walking experience. This is to ensure you have the fitness required to complete the walk that is planned safely.
After the walk, Summit Good’s Christmas meal will be at Thyme Bistro in Keswick: https://www.thymebistrokeswick.co.uk/. If you have booked a place, please see this page for more info.