According To Locals: The Best Places To Visit In Keswick
In April 2019, we asked locals to tell us their favourite places to visit in Keswick! The results are in and we’ve picked out some of the most-loved places for locals.
Whether you love the great outdoors or you prefer to spend your days in the comfort of four walls, some of our lovely Facebook followers from Keswick have recommended some cracking indoor and outdoor places to visit in our favourite market town!
If you want to see Keswick through a local’s eyes, try going to some (or all!) of the places below when you next come to visit.
Latrigg
Latrigg, belonging to the Skiddaw fells, is a fell in Keswick and is one of the lowest fells in the Lake District. This is a really popular walk and that’s hardly a surprise seeing as it provides gorgeous views of Keswick town and the valley of Borrowdale.
There’s a lovely 3-mile walk which starts at Moot Hall in Keswick and takes you up and down Latrigg. The walk is likely to take you around 2 - 2.5 hours and, if you’d like to find out more about the route, you can read up on it here.
The exquisite Lingholm Estate is a country estate on the western shore of Derwentwater. Made up of a grade II listed Victorian house, built in 1873, as well as stunning footpaths and gardens, this is a truly picturesque area. Onsite, there is high quality self catering accommodation. The Lingholm Kitchen, which overlooks the octagonal walled garden, serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, including a range of locally sourced foods. The garden sits on the same spot as the old Lingholm kitchen gardens that Beatrix Potter credited as her original inspiration for Mr McGregor's garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Within the Walled Garden is a gallery dedicated to Beatrix Potter's work in the Derwentwater area, much of it undertaken whilst she stayed at Lingholm.
You can catch the Keswick Launch to either Nichol End or Hawes End jetty, then follow the footpath which is a 10-15 minute stroll to the estate. There is also a free car park for customers. Alternativley, Lingholm is just a 10 minute stroll from Portinscale or a flat 35 minute walk from Keswick.
Keswick Alhambra Cinema was built in 1913 and has been open ever since, making it the only British picturehouse to be running continuously for over 100 years. Here, you can choose to sit in either the balcony or the stalls to watch one of the huge variety of films shown.
Open every day, Keswick Alhambra Cinema puts on events such as parent/baby relaxed screenings and even hosts Keswick Film Club every Sunday from September until March. It also offers private screenings for parties and interest groups.
Now is an exciting time for Keswick Alhambra Cinema, too! The venue is currently having some work done to restore some of its original features - you can keep up-to-date with the progress on the Restore The Glory Facebook page.
One of the most loved attractions in Keswick, Theatre by the Lake has been entertaining audiences since 1999. The company puts on up to 9 productions each year, including classic, modern, and new plays. Theatre by the Lake has two stages. One of which is a 400-seat Main House and the other is a 100-seat studio. To book tickets, click here.
If you’re a culture vulture, you may be a big fan of Viridian Gallery. Showcasing incredible contemporary and traditional British art and craft, Viridian Gallery can be found on St John's Street and hosts an ever-changing display of work. You have the option to buy online or in-store and you can view some of its collections online, too.
Keswick Market has been running for an impressive 743 years so far and is popular with both locals and tourists - in fact, people have been known to travel hundreds of miles just to visit!
Here, you’ll find stalls selling anything and everything from handmade crafts and gifts to award-winning food and drink. Currently, Keswick Market is open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 am - 4.30 pm - it really is a treasured part of Keswick.
It’s no secret that Keswick is home to fabulous shops, and up there with the best of them is Fultons Lakes Jewellery Works. For over 30 years, Fultons Lakes Jewellery Works has been making fine jewellery and, specialising in bespoke jewellery, if you like something a little bit more quirky, this could be the shop for you.
At Fultons, you’ll find all manner of fine pieces, including dress rings, earrings, bangles, bracelets, a whole collection inspired by flowers, ...and maybe even the perfect ring for a Lake District marriage proposal!
You’ll find Keswick Museum on Station Road and it’s open daily from 10 am - 4 pm (although last admissions are at 3 pm). The museum has an impressive number of collections, covering decorative art, archaeology, fine art, literature, geology, industrial history, social history, and natural history. It was founded in 1873 by the Keswick Literary & Scientific Society and was awarded ‘Museum of the Year’ in 2015 - what an accolade!
These are just a handful of places which our Keswick locals hold dear. If you’d like to find out more about the wonderful things you can see in do in Keswick, take a look around our website.