Holiday Homes in Keswick

If the northern Lakes have a capital, it is Keswick. Tucked between the shores of Derwentwater and the bulk of Skiddaw, this lively market town is one of the few sizeable towns genuinely within the national park, and it makes a wonderful base for walkers, families and anyone who likes a lake and a mountain on the same doorstep. The pedestrianised centre hums with outdoor shops, cafés and pubs, while the water and the fells are never more than a stroll away.

Derwentwater, often called the Queen of the Lakes, is the heart of it. You can take a launch between its wooded jetties, walk a stretch of the shore, or climb the much-loved little peak of Catbells for one of the finest views in the district. Bigger days beckon on Skiddaw above the town, and there is plenty under cover too, from the curious Derwent Pencil Museum, which tells how the pencil was born in nearby Borrowdale, to the well-regarded Theatre by the Lake. Just outside town, the ancient Castlerigg Stone Circle stands in a ring of fells.

With Borrowdale, Buttermere and the whole northern Lakes fanning out around it, Keswick is as good a launchpad as you will find, and lively enough to keep you happy whatever the weather. Settle into one of our Keswick holiday homes and you will have the best of lake, town and mountain right outside the door.