Keswick Walks

The best view-to-effort ratio anywhere near Keswick. Castle Head is the wooded knoll on the Borrowdale side of town, and from the bench at the top you get the whole of Derwentwater laid out below you — the islands, the launches, Catbells along the western shore and Borrowdale running away south. We walked it door to door from the lakeside in 2.28 miles and 1 hour 13 minutes, and that included stopping to take photographs the whole way round; moving time was about 54 minutes. It starts from the same stretch of shore as the Friars Crag walk, so the two make an easy morning together. The sting is in the last few minutes — see the boots note below.

The route, step by step

1. 1. Start on the lane beside the lake, walking past the Theatre by the Lake. Follow it up for about 30 metres to a crossroads of paths.

2. 2. At the crossroads go straight on, between the two farm gates. The National Trust fingerpost here reads Cockshot Wood, Woodland Walk ½ mile, Castlehead Wood 1 mile — you want Castlehead Wood.

   

   

3. 3. Carry on for roughly 100 metres and you come out on Borrowdale Road (the B5289). Cross it carefully — it is a proper road with traffic.

4. 4. On the far side, go through the stone stile in the wall. The path then works around the bottom of the hill to the far side before it starts climbing.

   

   

5. 5. Now the climb — fairly steep, and turning to loose stone and then bare rock as you near the top. It is short, but it is the part that decides what you want on your feet.

6. 6. The summit has a bench and a toposcope, and the full Derwentwater panorama in front of you. Sit down. This is what you came for.

   

   

7. 7. Drop back down to Borrowdale Road. The path comes out exactly where the pavement into Keswick starts, so there is no road walking without a footway — then it is about 150 yards through the no-entry signs and you are in the town centre.

   

Nearest pub / refuel

Nearest pub: The Wainwright on Lake Road — the first pub you reach coming off the route.

Worth knowing if you set off early: their own site gives food as noon–3pm and 5–9pm (checked August 2026), so a morning finish can beat them to it. If it's shut, the Dog & Gun and the Lake Road Inn are about 50 yards further into town.

The old railway line along the River Greta, and the walk locals actually use when everyone in the party has to be able to do it. It runs on the trackbed of the Keswick to Penrith Railway, so it is flat the whole way and surfaced end to end, with a tunnel partway along and a run of bridges over the river. It is also unusually wide — several prams abreast, or three bikes side by side. There are at least ten points to join or leave it, so you do not have to walk the whole thing; the exit at the petrol station on Penrith Road puts you about fifty yards from the Twa Dogs. Dog-friendly, buggy-friendly and genuinely wheelchair-friendly.

Two of the best short viewpoints near Keswick, on the eastern Borrowdale road. Ashness Bridge is the most-photographed packhorse bridge in the Lakes, with Skiddaw framed beyond it; a little higher up, the dramatic Surprise View opens out over the full length of Derwentwater from the crags above. The two can easily be combined — a short uphill path links Ashness Bridge to Surprise View through the woods — making a lovely, low-effort outing with huge reward. For the wider hub take on these spots as attractions, see the Keswick hub. Dog-friendly.

A mile of valley road south from the Bowder Stone to Rosthwaite, then north along the River Derwent through the wooded gorge to Grange and back up the road. A cave, an abandoned quarry, a cobbled packhorse bridge and river swimming on the way — plus one fork in the woods that catches people out. Walked, timed and photographed on 8 August 2026.

From Braithwaite, out along the mine's own access track into Coledale to the ruins of Force Crag Mine — the last working metal ore mine in the Lake District, by the National Trust's account, and now a Scheduled Monument. There is one climb, at the very start; after that the track runs close to flat with the mine buildings in sight from a long way off. Fine in trainers, and wide enough for bikes and buggies. Not to be confused with the Coledale Round, which is a hard fell day above this valley.