A walk from Keswick.......... around Derwentwater

I woke up to beautiful sunshine on Wednesday.
 I had a great breakfast provided by my hosts Tina and Bernie at their lovely Guest House The Cartwheel.
 .http://www.thecartwheel.co.uk/
 My walk for the day would be around Derwentwater a distance of around 10 miles.

I wanted to walk light so only took my little point and shoot camera and a bottle of water in my pack.

The town is set back from the lake and you pass pretty Hope Park on the way to the shoreline passing the jetties of the Keswick Launches.
I walked clockwise around the lake at first hugging the shoreline with great views across the lake to the fells of Catbells and Causey Pike.

Catbells (1480ft)

Causey Pike (2090ft)

  The path passed through woodland then fields returning to the waters edge at Calfclose Bay.

The Centenary Stones sculpture (1995) commemorate 100 years of the National Trust.

The Centenary Stones

The view across the lake from Calfclose Bay

Passengers wait in the departure lounge at Ashness Gate



                         

      I was soon at the first of the landing stages of the launches at Ashness Gate and watched as one the lovely water buses arrived.

Many people just take a cruise on the water but they are very popular with walkers as there are seven stages around the lake and you can hop on or off at any of these points.
With boats going both clockwise and anti-clockwise and arriving about half an hour apart you never have too long to wait.

Crossing the River Derwent as it flows into the lake

Sculpture in the woods at Brandlehow

 

 Keswick Launches plying their trade

Nichol End Marina

Scenes for the 2006 film Miss Potter where shot near Nichol End

Nichol End was where I had to leave the lake and walk through the pretty village of Portinscale on my journey back into Keswick.

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk and after a quick look around Keswicks shops I relaxed with a beer in the friendly Bank Tavern and enjoyed a hearty meal.