Derwentwater

Lake or "water"? — and where it sits

As with Ullswater, the name puzzles people: "water" is simply the old local word for a lake, so this is the water of the River Derwent — Derwentwater — and you'd never call it "Lake Derwentwater". It is a lake (a natural glacial one, not a reservoir); see our glossary on water, mere and tarn.

The town of Keswick sits at its northern end — the obvious base for everything here — with the lakeshore villages of Portinscale to the north-west and Grange-in-Borrowdale at the southern foot, where the valley narrows into Borrowdale.

The facts — size, the famous shallowness, Friar's Crag & Ruskin

Derwentwater is about three miles (4.6 km) long and a mile and a quarter wide, the third-largest lake after Windermere and Ullswater. Its defining feature is its shallowness: at most about 22 m (72 ft) deep, and only around 5.5 m on average — remarkably shallow for its size. That's why it's typically the first of the lakes to freeze in winter, and part of why it can look so still and mirror-like.

At the Keswick end, a short, level walk leads to Friar's Crag — one of the great Lakeland viewpoints, looking down the lake to the Jaws of Borrowdale. John Ruskin reckoned the view from here among the finest in Europe and recalled it as one of his earliest memories; there's a memorial to him on the crag. The name remembers the friars and pilgrims who once set out from here to St Herbert's Island. It's a perfect short outing — see our Friar's Crag & Derwentwater shore easy walk.

The islands

Derwentwater's islands are one of its best stories:

• Derwent Isle — the only inhabited island, owned by the National Trust and leased to a private tenant who lives in Derwent Island House year-round. The Trust opens it to the public only a handful of days a year. It has an eccentric past: the flamboyant 18th-century owner Joseph Pocklington, and, long before, a 16th-century colony of German copper miners.
• St Herbert's Island — the largest, named for the 7th-century hermit St Herbert, whose cell here made it a place of medieval pilgrimage.
• Lord's Island and Rampsholme — two smaller wooded islands, with a few tiny others.
• The "Floating Island" — not a true island but a real phenomenon: a raft of decaying vegetation, buoyed up by marsh gas, that rises to the surface some late summers near Lodore, then sinks again.

Boats, cruises & the Keswick Launch

The Keswick Launch is the classic way onto the water, running cruises and boat hire from the Keswick jetties by the Theatre by the Lake. The full circuit takes about 50 minutes, hop-on, hop-off at seven landing stages around the shore (Keswick, Ashness Gate, Lodore, High and Low Brandelhow, Hawes End and Nichol End) — which makes it brilliant for walking one way and sailing back.

You can hire rowing and small motor boats (motorised craft keep to the lake's 10 mph limit, and powered boating is strictly limited), and there's kayak, canoe and paddleboard hire at Derwent Water Marina and Nichol End Marine over at Portinscale. You can launch your own unpowered craft at designated points with no licence needed. Prices and timetables change with the season, so check the official Keswick Launch site.

Walks & fells around Derwentwater

The walking here is as good as anywhere in the Lakes, from a flat shore stroll to a proper mountain:

• The shore walk — a roughly 10-mile circuit of the lake, mostly low and easy (with a little road), and easily shortened by hopping on the launch. The gentlest taste is our Friar's Crag & Derwentwater shore easy walk.
• Catbells — the much-loved little fell on the western shore, with the full ridge on our Catbells–Maiden Moor–High Spy route.
• Walla Crag and Latrigg — superb low viewpoints right above the lake and Keswick.
• Skiddaw — the big northern fell, by the fine Ullock Pike ridge.
• Ashness Bridge & Surprise View and the Bowder Stone on the eastern and southern shores, with Castle Crag (guide) — the lowest Wainwright — guarding the Jaws of Borrowdale.

Check the live "Best Fells today" conditions before the tops. The Fells & walks nearby box below lists the closest summits with a full guide.

Swimming, fishing & on the water

• Swimming — wild swimming is popular, especially off the quieter western shore and the southern bays, but take care: cold water, boat traffic (stay clear of the launch lanes), and use your own judgement on conditions. Derwentwater's water quality is generally better-regarded than Windermere's, but it's sensible to check the latest before you swim.
• Fishing — you need an Environment Agency rod licence (and usually a permit), so it isn't free. The lake holds pike, perch and trout, and is famous among naturalists for the vendace, a very rare ice-age whitefish for which Derwentwater was long the last native habitat in England.
• Wild camping is not permitted on the shores; use one of the Keswick or Borrowdale campsites (note the lakeshore site by the Derwent can flood in extreme weather).

Where to stay & practical

Most people base themselves in Keswick — it has everything, and the lake is a five-minute walk away. For somewhere quieter, Portinscale and the wooded west shore are lovely, and Grange-in-Borrowdale and the southern end put you in the wilder Borrowdale scenery.

On the lake's edge at Portinscale, the long-established Derwentwater Hotel was bought by the Leisureplex Hotel Group in October 2025 (it had been closed since 2020) — so check its own channels for when it reopens rather than assuming it's currently trading.

A note on history: Storm Desmond (2015) flooded Keswick and the lakeshore badly, and the low-lying campsite by the Derwent is prone to flooding in extreme weather. The area is Keswick (CA12); it's superb dog-walking country. Easy day trips take in Keswick, Portinscale, Grange-in-Borrowdale, the Bowder Stone, Watendlath and Lodore Falls, and Bassenthwaite Lake just north, linked by the River Derwent.