Derwentwater
Derwentwater features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Lake District. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Lake District Lake District guide
About Derwentwater
A broad, shallow, island-strewn lake just south of Keswick, ringed by fells and the jaws of Borrowdale, with launches, the classic view from Friar's Crag, and Catbells above its shore.
Derwentwater lies immediately south of Keswick in the northern Lake District, a broad, shallow lake about 4.6 km long and up to 1.9 km wide, with a maximum depth of only about 22 metres. It is set in an amphitheatre of fells, with Skiddaw to the north and the valley of Borrowdale to the south, and is dotted with several wooded islands, cared for by the National Trust, among them Derwent Island, Lord's Island, St Herbert's Island and Rampsholme.
A regular passenger launch, the Keswick Launch, works around the lake, calling at jetties such as Keswick, Friar's Crag and Hawes End. St Herbert's Island is traditionally linked to a 7th-century hermit, and the lake is known for an intermittent 'floating island' of vegetation lifted by marsh gas. Derwentwater was long regarded as one of Britain's last native refuges of the rare whitefish, the vendace.
Did you know? One of Derwentwater's wooded islands, St Herbert's Island, is named for a seventh-century hermit said to have lived there in holy solitude, by tradition a friend of Saint Cuthbert.
How long is a visit to Derwentwater?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for Derwentwater. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Derwentwater worth your time?
Derwentwater is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Lake District, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Lake District
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Derwentwater and read more:
Day 2 of the Lake District in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Derwentwater
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