Route: Circuit of Derwent Water
Area: North Western Lake District
Date of walk: 27th September 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 10.5 miles
Ascent: 700 feet
Weather: Cloudy, grey and very hazy
We’d planned to climb a fell today but is was very hazy and the views would have been poor, so we settled on a low level walk around Derwent Water. We parked in the village of Portinscale, which was convenient for us, but this is a walk that could be started from numerous places, as a glance at the map will show. After walking along the road out of Portinscale for a short distance we turned off at Nichol End to follow the path through Fawe Park, and past Lingholm
We walked through Brandelhow and Manesty Park, both of which were looking particularly beautiful in their early autumn colours. When we reached the head of the lake we crossed the Chinese Bridge over the River Derwent to start the return leg along the eastern shore of the lake. Unless water levels are very high, it’s possible to avoid use of the nearby road entirely, and such was the case today. As we walked along we discussed the relative merits of the west and east shores of the lake and agreed that the west shore is much to be preferred, even though it’s the path on the east shore that bears the most foot traffic thanks to its proximity to Keswick
After passing by Friar’s Crag, we arrived at the Theatre by the Lake, where we turned left to follow a path around Crow Park. This meant that we missed most of Keswick and after a short walk through the outskirts of the town we joined the Cumbria Way and crossed the suspension bridge to arrive back in Portinscale. It had been a grey day, with most of the surrounding fells obscured in the thick haze, but the beauty of the surroundings shone through nevertheless and we were pleased with the route we’d picked
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Red squirrel on the morning of the walk
Most of the hazelnuts are taken away and buried at this time of the year
Later on, after leaving Portinscale, we follow the road to Nichol End
Derwentwater Marina from Nichol End Marina
We follow the track above Derwent Bank
The Park, and Catbells beyond
We enter the woods near Derwent Bay
There's an upper and a lower path through Brandelhow Park - today we opt for the former
We pass by a stone barn at Old Brandelhow
Looking back to the barn, and Skiddaw almost lost in the haze
Lovely autumn colours in the ancient woodland...
We descend to the landing stage at Brandelhow Bay
Walking round the bay
Boathouse in Brandelhow Bay
The Teddy in the Window (lower right), and some of the many postcards he receives from around the world
Otter Island
Manesty Park
We approach the head of Derwent Water
Trees in Manesty...
We follow the boardwalk in the direction of Castle Crag
Looking back, with Maiden Moor in the background
The boardwalk continues across the head of the lake
We cross the Chinese Bridge below Shepherds Crag
The path by the eastern shore of the lake, quite close to the Borrowdale road at times
Hazy Skiddaw
Further along the shoreline
The Centenary Stone in Calfclose Bay, placed here in 1995 to commemorate 100 years of the National Trust in the Lake District
Bench at Calfclose Bay, looking towards the head of the lake
The Ings
Bench at Strandshag Bay
Friar's Crag, and Catbells beyond
We arrive at the landing stages in Keswick
Woodland near Crow Park
We follow this track to the outskirts of Keswick
Looking along the River Derwent from the road bridge at the edge of town
We follow the Cumbria Way across the foot of the lake
The suspension bridge - Portinscale, and with it the end of today's walk, is just beyond
