Friar's Crag & the Derwentwater shore
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
- Buggy: An off-road pushchair can do this.
- Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.
On the line: 7 gates
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Easy 100%ModerateHardSevere
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 4.22 km with around 43 m of ascent. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | 4.2 km | 43 m | 0:55–1:13 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.
The walk, stage by stage
Keswick lakeside (Lake Road / the boat landings) → Finish (4.2 km, 43 m)
Undulating section of about 4.2 km.
Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.
Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Every option near this start, on the parking map →
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Buses
The 509 stops at Keswick Bus Station (K) (Stand 1), 20 m from this start. Last bus: Monday to Friday 22:20 towards Workington (X5) and 21:55 towards Penrith (X5) and 18:00 towards Wigton (554); Saturday 00:15 (+1) (after midnight) towards Workington (X5) and 21:55 towards Penrith (X5) and 20:30 towards Wigton (554) and 16:30 towards Windermere (X8); Sunday 20:10 towards Workington (X5) and 18:20 towards Penrith (X5) and 16:10 towards Wigton (554). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 509 passes this route at 0.0 km (Keswick Bus Station (K) (Stand 2), 20 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 78 at 3.6 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
If the parking is full
There is a fallback here, but it is a weak one. Some of the 3 below tend to fill for the same reasons at the same time. Treat the list as one-and-a-bit options rather than 3.
- Keswick, Crosthwaite Road (paid)
- Lakeside long stay car park, Keswick (paid)
- Booths Coach Park
Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.
Safety & conditions
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Easier and harder options coming soon.
Places to stay near this start
From Keswick: 28 places