natural environment of keswick...
Keswick is built on drumlins - mounds of glacial deposits shaped into oval mounds by the action of glaciers. The Moot Hall is built on the crest of a drumlin. Crow Park and the islands in Derwentwater are other drumlins.
The glacial lake of Derwentwater was once joined to Bassenthwaite Lake until river-borne deposits silted up the section to the west of Keswick. These are the only two lakes in the UK that harbour the endangered vendace - a relic fish from the last Ice Age. The lake contains four islands - Derwent Island, St Herbert's Island (named after a hermit who once lived there), Lord's Island and Rampsholme Island. Derwent Island was occupied by German miners in the 16th century, and later bought by Joseph Pocklington, a wealthy eccentric, who erected many inappropriate buildings on the island including a mock church, a mini fort and a porter's lodge. Between 1781 and 1789 he staged annual regattas and mock battles on the lake, culminating in the firing of cannons over the water. The island is now owned by the National Trust.
Friar's Crag is a rocky pine-clad promontory on Derwentwater, providing superb views across the lake to Borrowdale - Ruskin declared it to be one of the top views in Europe! Nearby is a memorial to Canon Rawnsley (1851-1920), vicar of Crosthwaite Church and one of the co-founders of the National Trust in 1893.
Keswick Launch, Tel: 017687 72263
Sit back and enjoy the tranquil beauty of Derwentwater, as the Keswick launch provides a regular service round the lake.
Further afield
In 2001, the Osprey Project succeeded in persuading ospreys to return to the Lake District. Every year since then, the ospreys have reared their young on a specially prepared platform in Wythop Woods overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake. Opposite, in Dodd Wood, there is a viewing point with telescopes and Osprey Project staff on hand from 10.00 to 5.00 every day (to the end of August) to provide information. Alternatively, visitors can see the ospreys on a video link at Whinlatter Visitor Centre.
