Braithwaite
Braithwaite village is located 2.5 miles from Keswick and is accessed by car via the A66. There is a village shop and pubs but for a wider choice of shops, restaurants and pubs plus a theatre and cinema Keswick is only a few minutes drive away. This is an excellent base for exploring the Lake District.
Braithwaite is served by the X4/X5 - Workington/Cockermouth/Keswick/Penrith bus. Click here for bus timetables.
Many walks start from Braithwaite up into the surrounding fells and mountains such as Grisedale Pike, Barrow, Outerside and the Coledale Round or into the beautiful Newlands Valley. Braithwaite makes an ideal base for a walking holiday. Walkers are spoilt for choice in Braithwaite. It would be quite possible to leave your car in the village and walk from your door for a fortnight without retracing your steps. Possibilities include Barrow Fell, Causey Pike and the Coledale Horseshoe which includes the Lakeland fells of Grisdale Pike, Eel Crag and Crag Hill. For walking routes click here.
Above Braithwaite are the remains of Force Crag Mine - the last mineral mine to be worked in the Lake District has been lovingly restored and cared for by volunteers. There are regular guided tours with the National Trust which allow you to explore the above-ground processing mill.
The village of Braithwaite is situated at the foot of the Whinlatter Pass and enjoys excellent views over Bassenthwaite Lake and the surrounding Lakeland fells. Heading up the Whinlatter Pass for two miles from Braithwaite is Whinlatter Forest, England's only true mountain forest. It is owned and managed by the Forestry Commission.The Forest Park and the Visitor Centre provide lots of opportunity for walking and mountain biking. You can hire a bike there from Cyclewise or take your own. It offers a number of graded walks through the forest on marked trails and a series of children's outdoor play areas . For those over the age of ten there's a treetop adventure called Go Ape, a high level journey along bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides up to 40 feet in the trees. Whinlatter Forest is famous as the nesting place of the magnificent ospreys which feed on fish from the lake.
