A favourite destination for both locals and tourists, Keswick is a market town in the Northwest of the Lakes surrounded by mountains including the famous Skiddaw, and is packed with things to see, do and enjoy.

Alpacaly Ever After

The Woolly Army of the Lake District, Alpacaly Ever After is a social enterprise based in the heart of the Lake District bringing a selection of alpaca and llama experiences.

Rescuing and rehoming alpacas and llamas in need, their woolly army has reached over 150 furry friends. Offering casual meet & greets, chilled walks with their alpacas & adventurous treks with their llamas, there's something for everyone to enjoy some time with these Peruvian native animals.

Their locations include Lingholm Estate and the shores of Derwent Water, the picturesque Whinlatter Forest, the Lakes Distillery, Littletown Farm and their new site, Basecamp North Lakes.

alpacalyeverafter.co.uk
017687 78328
Penrith, CA11 0SG

Honister Slate Mine

Honister is England’s last working slate mine, they have made it a perfect combination of slate mining and adventure. Located at the top of the iconic mountain pass, visitors can choose from an array of activities including mine tours, climb the mine, their award-winning Via Ferrata course, and even cliff camping.

Accompanied by their experienced and friendly guides, it doesn't matter whether you’re a usual adrenaline junkie or if you wanted to give something new a go.

honister.com
017687 77230
Borrowdale, CA12 5NX

Lakes Distillery

Home of “The Lakes” collection including gin, vodka and the “world’s best single malt whiskey”, The Lakes Distillery a working distillery in Bassenthwaite. With a range of tours on offer, visitors can experience the process that a spirit goes through until it's the finished product. With their most popular tour being their tour and tasting, customers go behind the scenes to learn about the Lakes product range and then get to try it for themselves at the end.

With a shop and bistro on site, treat yourself to a taste of the Lakes.

lakesdistillery.com
017687 88850
Setmurthy, CA13 9SJ

Derwent Water Marina

If you’re looking for something different than conventional boats to get around the lake, Derwent Water Marina is the place for you. With the hire of canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and pedalos, enjoy a range of ways of getting on the water.

If you would like to experience one of the activities they provide, why not try windsurfing, sailing or gyhll scrambling.

derwentwatermarina.co.uk
017687 72912
Portinscale, CA12 5RF

GoApe, Whinlatter

Based in England’s only true mountain forest, Go Ape at Whinlatter Forest is the home of adventure in the trees. Adrenaline filled, take in the dramatic scenery all whilst swinging, climbing and zip-lining your way through the tree tops. Designed for everyone 1m and over, Go Ape is a perfect day out for all of the family.

goape.co.uk/locations/whinlatter
01603 895500
Braithwaite, CA12 5TW

Lingholm Estate & Walled Garden

Located on the shores of Derwent Water near Portinscale, The Lingholm Estate is comprised of a range of self-catering properties, walled garden and café. Surrounded by the stunning Lake District scenery, it’s a great day out for all ages where you can grab a bite to eat and have a potter down to the shores of the Lake via the accessible paths through the gardens along to the Estate’s private stretch of lake frontage.

Or if you’re looking for something a bit more challenging, the Estate is conveniently located at the foot of Catbells and close by to the Newlands Valley mountain range making the Estate a perfect pre-walk fuel up, well needed pitstop or a final finisher before the head home after a day out on the fells.

thelingholmestate.co.uk/the-estate/
017687 74238
Portinscale, CA12 5TZ

Fell Walking - Catbells, Walla Crag, Skiddaw

As mentioned above, Keswick is close by to an array of famous Lakeland walks due to the town being in the heart of the Northern Lake District. Ony a short distance from the town centre, you can access some of the most well-known fells including Skiddaw, Grizedale Pike, Causey Pike and Blencathra, along with all of the fells in the Newlands & Borrowdale Valley.

However, if fell walking isn’t your thing, there are still a variety of low level walks and view points that are accessible including the walk from the car park at the top of Latrigg and Surprise View, both of which give breathtaking views of Keswick, Derwent Water and surrounding areas.

Derwent Water Walk

A great option for those who would prefer a lower level walk is the circular route around the lake. This route follows the shores of Derwent Water and can be started and finished at any of the main points around the lake, including Keswick town centre, Lingholm, Mary Mount and Newlands Adventure Centre, all of which have piers in which the launch stops at so if the walk becomes too much or you would rather sit in a beer garden (we don’t blame you), the launch is a great way to shorten the walk.

The walk in total around the shoreline is around 10 miles of flat, relatively easy terrain. Scenic throughout, don’t let the 10 mile distance put you off as the walk is very leisurely with beautiful views and takes around 3-4 hours depending on how many pit stops you would like to take on the way round.