Route: Circuit of Derwent Water
Area: North Western Lake District
Date of walk: 26th April 2016
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 11.3 miles
Ascent: 800 feet
Weather: Bright spells but often cloudy, cold, some hail
I parked along the Headlands in Keswick, although this is a walk that could be started from a multitude of places along the route. After walking through Hope Park and past the Theatre by the Lake I arrived at the landing stages of Derwent Water, and from there followed the lakeshore path to Friar’s Crag (the subject of a recent much shorter walk)
I continued along the shore as far as Kettlewell car park, at which point it’s necessary to cross the road and walk through the woods for a short distance. I made a quick detour to see the Lodore Falls, then walked across the head of the lake over the Chinese Bridge and the boardwalk. This marked the half way point
From here I continued along the shoreline path to the foot of Derwent Water, crossed the suspension bridge beyond Portinscale, and followed the Cumbria Way back into Keswick
Following the disastrous flooding in December 2015, when most of this route would have been submerged and only accessible to strong swimmers, there was still some debris lying around in various places but I was glad to see that most of this has now gone following huge efforts by a great many people, and the surroundings were as beautiful as ever
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
The afternoon before the walk, the foot of Low Fell across Lorton Vale
...and next morning, a red squirrel calling in for breakfast
Later that morning, the start of the walk as I pass through Hope Park towards the lakeside
The landing stages near the foot of Derwent Water
Looking across Derwent Water to Derwent Isle and Causey Pike
Path to Friar’s Crag
Strandshag Bay
Head of Derwent Water
Strandshag Bay
Lord’s Island
Looking back to St John’s Church Keswick
The path leaves the shore for a short distance
Mother and infant below Walla Crag
Zooming in on Castle Crag…
Catbells and Causey Pike
Viewpoint at Calfclose Bay
Head of Derwent Water from the bay
The edge of Great Wood
The level of the lakes has dropped several feet since the December floods, and I’m able to continue along the shore
Looking back to Skiddaw
The Lodore Hotel
Just beyond the hotel I follow this path across the head of the lake
Skiddaw
I cross the Chinese Bridge over the River Derwent as it flows into Derwent Water
The boardwalk across the head of the lake…
Looking across the lake to Shepherds Crag
Castle Crag again - despite its small stature at 985 feet it manages to dominate the scene
Birch tree at the foot of Catbells
I follow the path along the west shore of the lake
Otter Island
View towards the foot of Derwent Water
Brandelhow Park
Skiddaw and its Little Man
The path leaves the lakeshore
Looking back
A short detour to Derwentwater Marina to admire the view across the lake
After walking through Portinscale, I cross the suspension bridge over the River Derwent as it flows out of the lake
I follow the Cumbria Way into Keswick - hard to imagine that this area was completely submerged in the floods just 4 months ago
I walk back to the start through the streets of Keswick
