Keswick is a charming market town just off the northern shore of spectacular Derwentwater, in the sometimes overlooked northern Lake District. Many people find this landscape inspirational, to the extent that the local vicar became such a staunch defender of the right for all to experience the beauty of the area, that he became a co-founder of the National Trust; and numerous poets waxed lyrical about it. Beatrix Potter visited each summer, and included many illustrations of Derwentwater on the pages of her very famous Peter Rabbit series. The best places to stay in Keswick make good use of the views, creating comfortable spaces to rest while still appreciating the landscape. We have picked out a cosy pub-with-rooms, and a friendly guest house for special mention.
Keswick is still very much a market town, hosting regular markets on Thursday and Saturday in the Market Square, surrounding the Moot Hall, which is now the Tourist Information Centre. It’s also still a centre for pencil production (the discovery of black lead in Seathwaite in the 16th century set this industry up and running here) — if that’s whetted your appetite you’ll be wanting to visit the Pencil Museum. Keswick Museum & Art Gallery is good for a wetter day, as is its cinema — one of Britain’s oldest — and there are a number of local churches. However Keswick is a good base for exploring the further afield with the highlights of Troutbeck, Buttermere, Ullswater, Borrowdale, Scafell Pike, Grasmere, Ambleside, and Windermere all within a very pleasant drive.
The best places to stay in Keswick may already be familiar to walkers and fell scramblers, because it’s becoming one of the largest centres of outdoor activities in the UK. It’s not just walkers and climbers either, there are lots of opportunities for watersports on and around Derwentwater and its islands, two indoor climbing walls, several mountain biking centres, and you can often see paragliders exploring the region from the air.