Along the route:
Derwent Isle is owned by the National Trust but rented out to a private tenant. You are not permitted to land there, but the house is open to the public for five days a year. Derwent Isle has been occupied for hundreds of years and was home to a monastery in the fifteen hundreds.
Derwent Water Marina offers canoe hire, tuition, changing, toilets, parking, and launching. A café is also close to the marina.
Copperheap Bay is where copper ore, from the mine at Newlands, was carried across the lake to Keswick in the 1800s.
St Herbert’s Island is ‘Owl Isle’ of the Beatrix Potter books. St Herbert, a hermit, died here in 687 AD.
Kettlewell, Ashness Gate, and Calfclose Bay all have small car parks.
On the banks of Rampsholme Island, you may spot the National Trust Centenary Stone. This is a split rock sculpture by Peter Randall-Page, celebrating 100 years of the National Trust.
The Area:
Keswick is a great centre for the Lake District with every type of tourist attraction and accommodation. Bassenthwaite and the lower Derwent valley are to the north, leading to Cockermouth and the west coast. The mountains to the south eventually rise to Scafell Pike. Skiddaw and Blencathra are to the north and north-west of the town.
Further useful information can be found on the following websites:
Parking: Park at the Lakeside car park, by the theatre. Please note there are charges to park here. The launch, on the lake foreshore, is entirely at the discretion of Keswick Launch Company (please speak to KLC staff for assistance). You may drive up to launch or remove boats but removal of vehicles, immediately, to the car park is required.
