The Derwent Water Walk

Friday 23rd December 2016

With the Winter Storm Barbara throwing all it had onto the Lake District including very high winds and persistent rain, this was not the day to do a walk over the fells. I had been in a similar position exactly two years before when I had opted to stay low by walking around the lake of Derwent Water keeping away from the lakeshore paths that were completely flooded. This time, despite the heavy rain, there wasn’t any flooding so this time I hoped that I’d be able to walk on the lakeshore paths that I had not done previously. Last time, I had gone around Derwent Water in an anti-clockwise direction, so this time I decided to head clockwise and started by leaving Keswick through Crowe Park to the road beside the Lakeside Car Park and the Theatre by the Lake. Normally this area is busy with many tourists going to the nearby landing stages for the Keswick Launch that takes people around Derwent Water, but there were very few people here on this miserable day as I made my way down Lake Road, past the landing stages and onto the track that leads to Friar’s Crag with the memorial to John Ruskin on the mound behind.

There is a very good view from Friar’s Crag across the length of Derwent Water to the Jaws of Borrowdale beyond and the surrounding fells, but I could see nothing in this terrible weather and with a surprisingly strong wind blowing rain into my face I didn’t stop long enough to look. I couldn’t help wondering how windy the tops of the fells must be if this was how windy it was at the shore of the lake. Quickly I turned around and headed onto the path that heads east through the boggy woodland of the Ings to a farm track that leads to Stable Hills. I soon started to see signs for the Derwent Water Walk and these would lead me all around the lake. One such sign directed me across the grasslands of Stable Hills onto a path that hugs the lakeshore as I rounded Broomhill Point and kept to the edge of Calfclose Bay. My map indicates that a footpath passes through the narrow strip of woodland between the lake and the road, but this was increasingly difficult to follow even though at times it was quite fun trying to trace the intermittent and tricky path through fallen leaves and up rocky ground.

Often my only option to get past the obstacles was to climb up onto the road and follow that for a short distance until another opening appeared enabling me to make further progress through the woodland. With hindsight this was quite an exciting part of the walk, though on the day I was relieved when I eventually reached the Ashness Gate Landing Stage where the path finally became easier to follow. At Barrow Bay a clear path follows the lakeshore around a small headland, although the path was still rather waterlogged and fast moving streams had to be carefully traversed. At Kettlewell Car Park the path moves to the other side of the road and meanders pleasantly through the trees and past moss covered boulders that led me all the way to the Lodore Hotel. After a brief, but welcome, shelter from the rain at the public convenience that is just after the hotel, I turned right onto a path that heads across the marshes immediately south of Derwent Water.

I have a long history with this path having first walked upon it in 2002 on my first holiday in the Lake District and despite several attempts subsequently I had never been on this path again, until this moment. I remember being at the start of this path two years ago and seeing a sign marking a path that led straight into the middle of the Lake, such was the flooding. I had such no problems now as I crossed the field to the well-made ‘Chinese Bridge’ across the River Derwent onto a boardwalk that kept my feet dry while crossing the marshy wetlands (or as dry as they can be when it is raining all day). The view all around me was delightful with long, golden-coloured grass covering the marshland and made up for the lack of any view of the surrounding fells. It is ironic that the first time in over fourteen years that this path has been dry enough for me to walk over is when it is pouring it down with rain. Eventually I reached drier ground where the boardwalks ended and a good path took me back north through the woodland of Manesty Park.

I have never walked upon this path before that follows the western shore of Derwent Water and it was a pleasure as I was able to stroll with very little effort along a wide track through the lovely Brandelhow Park. Two years ago I used the path that traverses the eastern slopes of Cat Bells while this way had probably lain under water, but now I was able to take this wonderful path that follows the edge of the lake before finally climbing up to Hawes End at the northern end of Cat Bells. From there I followed a very familiar route that I have taken many, many times through Overside Wood and Fawe Park into Portinscale and over the River Derwent to Keswick. This wasn’t a long walk as it only took me about four hours, but the weather was abysmal so this was a good walk to do when the weather is this wet and windy. I remember being told by an old walker many years ago that so long as you can stay dry and warm you can walk in any weather, and that adage was proved right on this walk that was consequently quite enjoyable.