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 tart: Moot Hall in the centre of Keswick.
Head downhill and follow the B5289 out of town for one mile, turning left onto the
"no through road" which leads you over a footbridge and into Portinscale. At the
junction, turn left onto the road through the village. This will take you past two
marinas, both very welcoming and with shop and café. fter a mile, bear left,
keeping to the road parallel with the lake. A short climb will bring you to the slopes of
Catbells and soon the lake will appear in all its splendour. Time for a sandwich whilst
you take in the view across the lake and down towards Borrowdale. This is an area where
Hugh Walpole enjoyed walking and featured in his "Herries" novels. He is buried
at St. John’s church in Keswick.
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 hree more miles downhill and you reach Grange,
passing the Borrowdale Gates Hotel, famous for its fine fayre. In Grange, there are cafés
and a small shop selling big ice creams.s you leave the village,
idle a moment to enjoy the quaint little bridge over the River Derwent (much photographed
and painted) before crossing it and turning left at the B5289 to return to Keswick. Turn
right here for a short detour to marvel at the "Bowder Stone", a huge boulder,
fallen from the slopes above – a ladder gives access to the top. |
erwentwater is a beautiful lake and this route takes you to the
best place from which to view it. A picnic is a perfect accompaniment.
n summer, there are two
launches running, one clockwise, one anti-clockwise – if you want to go straight back
to Keswick, take the anti-clockwise launch which drops you off near the Theatre). However,
if you fancy a little more cycling you could take the clockwise launch for a couple of
stops, rejoining your original route to return to Keswick.