Keswick: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 85 - 228 The Leathes Head Hotel
 Set in more than 2 acres of mature land, in the heart of Borrowdale, The Edwardian Leathes Head features a bar, a restaurant and as free Wi-Fi through… MoreGBP 50 - 136 The Kings Arms Hotel
 On Keswick’s main street, 10 minutes’ walk from Derwent Water the Kings Arms Hotel offers easy access to the Lake District. The en suite rooms hav… MoreGBP 100 - 100 The George Hotel
 In the centre of Keswick, the George Hotel is the town’s oldest coaching inn. It offers comfortable en suite accommodation and a welcoming bar and a… MoreGBP 50 - 130 The Lodge In The Vale
 This brand-new hotel is situated within the heart of the beautiful Lake District scenery, overlooked by the impressive fells and mountains. It offers … MoreGBP 70 - 110 The Mary Mount Hotel
 Set in 5 acres of woodland gardens, The Mary Mount Hotel is set on the shores of Derwentwater. With countryside views, rooms are en suite. There is a… MoreGBP 16 - 147 YHA Keswick
 Surrounded by lovely greenery in the heart of vibrant Keswick centre, YHA Keswick is just a 10-minute walk from Lake Derwentwater. It features a resta… MoreGBP 80 - 88 Thwaite Howe
 Overlooking the Lake District’s Derwent Valley, Thwaite Howe is located in the secluded Thornthwaite Forest. It offers beautifully decorated rooms w… MoreGBP 39 - 88 Swiss Court Guest House
 This 4-star, 19th-century house offers bright, cosy rooms with excellent views of the Lakeland fells. Situated in the centre of Keswick, it offers hea… MoreGBP 96 - 296 Swinside Lodge - Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Hotel
 Just 3 miles from Keswick, this Georgian luxury hotel is set within lovely gardens at the foot of the Catbells fell. It boasts 2 AA Rosettes for its … MoreGBP 66 - 264 Keswick Country House Hotel
 In acres of lawns and flower gardens, Keswick Hotel has free parking and is a short walk from the centre of Keswick. The restaurant has garden views a… MoreGBP 70 - 170 Highfield Hotel & Restaurant
 Highfield has a multi-award-winning restaurant, magnificent lake and mountain views and its own private car park. The beautiful rooms have en suite ba… MoreGBP 59 - 120 Keswick Lodge
 Keswick Lodge is located in the market town of Keswick, just 2 miles (3 km) from Derwentwater. This traditional pub offers home-cooked seasonal food, … MoreGBP 45 - 115 Middle Ruddings Country Inn
 Situated in the idyllic Lakeland village of Braithwaite, Middle Ruddings Country Inn serves award-winning breakfasts with freshly baked bread. Guests … MoreGBP 77 - 198 Skiddaw Hotel
 In the centre of Keswick, Skiddaw Hotel offers good food, and spacious rooms with satellite TV and tea/coffee facilities. There is free Wi-Fi, and fre… MoreGBP 35 - 144 Queens Hotel
 In the Lake District National Park, Queens Hotel has a central location by Keswick’s market square. The hotel offers good food, traditional rooms an… MoreGBP 50 - 75 Dolly Waggon Guest House
 On a quiet street just off the A66, Dolly Waggon offers bed and breakfast accommodation in the heart of the Lake District. Minutes from central Keswic… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Keswick: Guide
Keswick is in Cumbria at the north of the Lake District.
Keswick sits under the shadow of England's 4th highest mountain Skiddaw, surrounded by hills and sheepfarming land and on the shores of the Derwent Water lake (arguably one of the more attractive of the major lakes in the area).
One of the major tourist hubs for the Lake District, Keswick has long been a favourite for serious walkers. A thriving town of outdoor equipment shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, Keswick is a great place to collapse at the end of a long walk and eat a hearty meal. It also has a few attractions to occupy visitors on a rainy day when heading up into the hills is not the thing to do.
Get in
Trains to and from Keswick were axed back in the 1960's so you either have to drive, or get a bus.
There is a regular bus service from Penrith train station to Keswick.
Driving is fast - M6 North of Manchester is usually fairly free flowing (and goes through some spectacular scenery) and the A66 from Penrith is dual-carriage most (if not all) the way to Keswick.
Drive from Manchester takes around 2 - 2.5hrs depending on how lead-footed you are!
Parking space is at a premium on busy days. There a couple of pay and display car parks in the town centre, and another at the lake front.
Get around
Buses run all over the Lake District from Keswick and these can make a good way to get out to or back from a days walking destination.
Alternatively there are 'launches' (water taxis) that run on Derwent Water which can be great for getting deep into the picturesque Borrowdale valley.
See
Do
Walk... walk.. walk...
If you're fit enough then Keswick should be used as a base to explore the local area. It may seem like hard work, but the feeling of strolling along the fell-tops and world class views on a clear day is hard to top.
If you can't walk then at least drive around from Borrowdale. A trip over the Honnister pass to Buttermere is well worth the effort returning over either Newlands pass or Whinlatter pass for spectacular views
Keswick is the little known home of famous "Derwent" pencils and on a rainy day a visit to the pencil museum can help pass a few hours!
Buy
Outdoor gear. All the big high-street outdoor shops are represented in Keswick, so you'll be spoilt for choice if you need any clothing or equipment for walking, climbing, or camping (Just don't forget to spend some time using it!)
Eat
Pretty much all of the pubs in the area offer traditional pub food at lunch and dinner time. With so much sheep farming in the surrounding hills, roast lamb is a favourite local dish. Cumberland sausage is a speciality throughout Cumbria
Four in Hand a fully non-smoking pub in the town centre does particularly good roast lamb.
Keswick
Live music is very popular in Keswick. Oddfellows on the main street has music every night of various quality. The Square Orange on St Johns Street and Cafe Bar 26, Lake Road have music every Thursday, both worth a visit.
The Loft on the main square is the towns only night club with the vibe of a bad school disco with alcohol. However, a late night drink is available at other venues such as the locals favourite, The Queens Back Bar or Rumours, the local dive bar.
Keswick has a number of affordable bed-and-breakfasts around. Stanger Street and Bank Street just east of the bus station are good places to start, although during high season (summer) reservations are recommended.
Keswick Youth Hostel, Station Road, Keswick, CA12 5LH 0870 770 5894. In a nice setting in the town by the river .
Borrowdale Youth Hostel, Barrow House, Borrowdale, Keswick, CA12 5UR, 0870 770 5792. In a 200 year old mansion house about 2 miles out of town. Walk, Bus or Lake Ferry from Keswick .
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Keswick". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.Drink
The Dog & Gun, Oddfellows and the Bank Tavern are the most popular of Keswicks traditional pubs, all offering a good range of real ales. The modern and stylish Cafe Bar 26 and The Square Orange offer a welcome change to the traditional, as does the newly opened Grove Bar on the main street. Sleep
Get out