473km (294 miles) NW of London; 50km (31 miles) NW of Kendal; 35km (22 miles) NW of Windermere
Keswick opens onto Derwentwater, one of the loveliest lakes in the region, and the town makes a good base for exploring the northern half of Lake District National Park. Keswick has two landscaped parks, and above the small town is a historic stone circle thought to be some 4,000 years old.
St. Kentigern's Church dates from A.D. 553, and a weekly market held in the center of Keswick can be traced from a charter granted in the 13th century. It's a short walk to Friar's Crag, the classic viewing point on Derwentwater. The walk will also take you past boat landings with launches that operate regular tours around the lake.
Around Derwentwater are many places with literary associations that evoke memories of Wordsworth, Robert Southey, Coleridge, and Hugh Walpole. Several of Beatrix Potter's stories were based at Keswick. The town also has a professional repertory theater that schedules performances in the summer, a swimming pool complex, and an 18-hole golf course at the foot of the mountains 6.5km (4 miles) away.
