Keswick and the Lakes
Keswick is a thriving little market town and caters for visitors all year round - it never has the "closed up" feel of a seaside resort after the summer months - there is always plenty going on whatever the weather or season. The town has won awards in Britain in Bloom many times over the past few years; it obviously has a head start with such a superb location. It offers a wide range of places to eat out and has an attractive shopping centre. Of course the outdoor clothing industry is a speciality here! Our market day is Saturday but Farmers Markets are arranged during the week throughout the year with, among other things, the opportunity to buy local craft work, photographs and so on.
Keswick is a great base from which to explore the Lakes, learn the literary past of Coleridge, Wordsworth, Southey and of course Beatrix Potter, visit stately homes and gardens or go further a field - Hadrian's Wall is easily explored from here and is a popular destination for foreign visitors in particular. It has lovely parks, museums, tennis courts, bowling greens, pitch and put, an excellent theatre, cinema, a climbing wall, leisure pool and mountain bike hire for the more energetic. Water sports can be arranged from several venues on Derwentwater and there are numerous other organisations who will take you on the fells, any thing from an easy walk to rock climbing or paragliding. There are several good golf courses in the area.
Getting Here
For those coming by public transport the nearest railway station is Penrith (National Rail Enquiries for timetable and other up to the minute information www.nationalrail.co.uk) and there are regular bus services from the station. Life in Keswick without a car is not a real problem as you can try one of the local mini bus tour companies - Lake District Tours www.laketours.co.uk: Lakeland Panoramic Tours www.klmtravel.co.uk/tours.htm; or Touchstone Guided Tours www.touchstonetours.co.uk or simply use our local bus service www.stagecoachbus.com. A good way to view the area, or to take a short cut to the start of your walk, is to use the Keswick on Derwentwater launches www.keswick-launch.co.uk .
Things To Do
Obviously there are a lot of outdoor activities and many of our visitors are keen walkers and make use of sites such as www.walkingbritain.co.uk and www.lakedistrictwalks.com to plan their days out. There are local guided walks from the Moot Hall. The Mountain Goat mini-bus service also do very good tours of the area so if you want to leave your car behind and relax for a day consider one of their tours. The Borrowdale Bus Service is also very useful for walking locally and you may take the Keswick Launch to any landing stage on Derwentwater and explore the valley, returning by a later launch, or just walking back to town.
Seasons
The natural rhythm of life in this lovely town across the seasons is something like this:
Spring
Lambs in the fields, snowdrops are replaced with Wordsworth's daffodils the hedges begin to burst, birds sing and walking the fells is a pleasure without summer heat. Crisp, clear high pressure days are a bonus for photographers and lengthening days mean more time exploring the fells and enjoying the spectacular views. February brings the Film Festival (www.keswickfilmclub.org) and the film club has an interesting selection of guest films showing on Sundays throughout the year. The Theatre by the Lake stages their annual festival of Words by the Water (www.wayswithwords.co.uk) in March and Keswick's Half Marathon takes place usually on the Sunday of the first May bank Holiday.
Summer
Mid May is always a wonderful time in the woods. Bluebells carpet the floor, a walk around Rydal is a special treat and there are rhododendrons out in gardens and roadsides bringing patches colour to the scenery. Keswick's parks are very busy and visitors can enjoy a game of bowls, tennis or mini golf in these wonderful surroundings www.parks-in-keswick.co.uk. The ospreys return from Africa and can be viewed at Dodd Wood and on live link at Whinlatter Forest Centre (www.ospreywatch.co.uk). The Siskins Cafe at the Whinlatter Visitor Centre is a great place for lunch! We have a 4 day annual Jazz Festival in the middle of May which is great fun and brings guests from all over the world (www.theatrebythelake.co.uk) and a new addition to our calendar is the Mountain Festival in mid-May www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk Keswick's Annual Beer Festival is held in early June (www.keswickbeerfestival.co.uk). From mid July the 3 week Keswick Religious Convention takes place (www.keswickministries.org). The Keswick Show is held on the August Bank Holiday Monday and there are many other agricultural shows, fell races, sheep dog trials and hound trails held throughout the area.
Autumn
Early September brings blackberries in the hedgerows, the colour of rowan berries in the woods, the bracken and leaves begin to turn so each fell side glows golden and red as the sun slants lower each day. The autumn colours are breathtakingly beautiful and walks on the fells over the early morning mist of the valleys are a wonderful experience. There are plenty of cosy pubs with open fires to enjoy the longer nights and several pubs run quiz nights which are a pleasant way to end a day.
Winter
Keswick looks amazing with the Christmas lights up, we defy anyone to find a prettier town! The Annual Victorian Fayre is usually held on the first Sunday in December. It is lovely to relax with a cup of hot punch and wander about the stalls selling homemade produce and gifts for Christmas whilst making money for local charities. Keswick is a great place for Christmas shopping! The Theatre by The Lake always puts on an excellent pantomime and there are many other productions organised for all tastes. Although the days are much shorter we still get some fantastic days for walking, clear crisp skies and, with the leaves of the trees removed, you can appreciate the massive crags of the fells as the bones of the land are laid bare. Paths are less busy and lakeshore walks on frosty days are a perfect way to relax and work up the appetite for a huge pub meal by a roaring fire.
For more photographs to give a taste of the area please visit a local lady, Ann Bowker's site (www.keswick.u-net.com) and try George Fisher's web cam to check the view of the weather conditions on the fells live (www.georgefisher.co.uk)