Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest of the Lake District at approximately 4 miles long and ¾ miles wide. Despite its size this long and narrow lake is very shallow, at its deepest point it reaches a depth of just 70 feet. The Lake is easily accessible with the A66 dual carriageway running along the western edge. The laybys are extremely popular for people wanting to take pictures and a spot of bird watching.

Coniston Water
Coniston is the third largest of the lakes and is approximately 5 miles long and ½ a mile wide. The lake is hugely popular with tourist due to its large expanse of water, which contains a number of tranquil islands, as well as the stunning scenery. The lake was famously the setting for the book Swallows and Amazons as well as the setting for Donald Campbell’s ill fated attempt to break the water speed record.

Derwentwater
Derwentwater is approximately 3 miles long and 1 mile wide making it the widest lake in the Lake District. The lake has a number of islands within, one of which contains Derwent Island House which is open to the public just 5 days a year. The huge Skiddaw overlooking the lake and the nearby market town of Keswick make Derwent one of the most popular lakes for visitors.

Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest of all the lakes in the Lake District at approximately 9 miles long and ¾ of a mile wide. Regarded by many as the most beautiful of all the lakes, Ullswater often finds itself compared to lakes in Switzerland, such as Lucerne. This favourable comparison is thanks to the beautiful scenery with mountains to one side and green fields and woodland on the other. The lake is great for water sports, with canoeing, sailing and wind surfing particularly popular. There are also the more relaxing steamer boats that take you on a cruise of the lake.

Windermere
Windermere is the largest lake in the Lake District and is the largest in the whole of England at approximately 10.5 miles long and 1 mile wide. As well as being the largest of the lakes Windermere is also the most well known and has long been a very popular attraction for tourists. Many of the tourists who do visit end up taking part in at least one of the many on water activities available. These range from wake boarding, sailing and canoeing to a more sedate pleasure cruise.

About the Author
This article was written on behalf of Borrowdale Gates, one of the best hotels in Keswick.

There is no better location that Keswick on Derwentwater when it comes to walking in the Lake District. There are a plethora of mountains within easy reach of Keswick including some of the highest mountains in England such as Scafell Pike, Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Great Gable and Pillar, which are all over 2,900 feet tall.

For anyone feeling less adventurous there lots of other enjoyable walks in the area including a choice of lakeside paths around Derwentwater, Bassenthwaite and Thirlmere, you can explore neighbouring valleys and secluded places, plus to the West of Keswick you will find the wonderful Whinlatter forest which offers a number of different forest trails.

Of course walking is not the only outdoor pursuit available in Keswick on Derwentwater there are opportunities for mountain climbing, mountain biking, sailing and kayaking to name a few.

Keswick on Derwentwater and the Northern Lakes covers one half of the Lake District National Park. This is the perfect area to choose for gentle relaxation or for an action packed family adventure holiday with lots of activities and attractions.

The picturesque market town of Keswick, nestled on the shores of Derwentwater, has a wide array of shops, restaurants and galleries. Explore the five major lakes, beautiful valleys and unspoilt villages.

For visitors to Keswick and North Lakes there is a range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, whether you prefer a Keswick Guest House, hotels, caravan sites or Keswick cottages, the choice is yours.

When it comes to places to visit and things to do during your stay you will find Keswick has plenty to offer including Derwentwater lake cruises, Cumberland Pencil Museum, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Trotters World of Animals, Cars of the Stars Motor Museum, Mirehouse Historic House & Gardens and the Keswick Brewing Company.

When it comes to eating out in Keswick visitors will find an excellent choice of quality restaurants, pubs and hotels. Many different cuisines are catered for including traditional English bar meals with many places specialising in local ingredients. You will also find Italian restaurants, Indian restaurants and even a Mexican restaurant. Fine dining is available at some of the top hotels in the area including Armathwaite Hall, Lodore Falls Hotel and Swinside Lodge in Borrowdale.

Bassenthwaite Lake is the only true “lake” in the Lake District with the other bodies of water actually being “waters”, “meres” or “tarns”. It is large at approximately 4 miles long but is the shallowest piece of water in the Lake District. Bassenthwaite Lake is linked to Derwent Water by the River Derwent.  Bassenthwaite Lake is a key habitat for the ospreys, a National Nature Reserve and a Special Area of Conservation owned and managed by the Lake District National Park Authority.

Each year these beautiful and rare birds return to nest. The female osprey laid her first egg of 2009 at the nest near Bassenthwaite Lake on Thursday 16th April. Ospreys normally lay a clutch of three eggs.  Incubation is carried out mainly by the female and takes between 34-40 days.

Hundreds of people visited the Bassenthwaite area over the 2009 Easter weekend to get a glimpse of the Lake District Ospreys.   Visitors can get great views of the birds from a Viewpoint in Dodd Wood, only 400 metres away from the nest.  The Viewpoint is open all daylight hours, with staff on hand with telescopes from 10am-5pm daily, as part of the RSPB’s ‘Dates with Nature’ Project.

It is also possible to see the birds on the nest on a giant videowall at the Visitor Centre on the Forestry Commission estate at Whinlatter Forest, near Braithwaite.  Live pictures from cameras overlooking and inside the nest are also beamed to the screen and can also be viewed on the Project’s website ospreywatch.co.uk and the BBC Cumbria website at bbc.co.uk/cumbria. It is now easier than ever before to visit Dodd Wood and Whinlatter thanks to the Osprey Bus which was launched in 2008.  The liveried bus service named after the spectacular birds of prey operates around Bassenthwaite Lake taking in the Whinlatter Exhibition and the Dodd Wood viewpoint and runs weekends from 4th April to 31st August 2009, except during the following school holidays, 6-17 April, 25-29 May and 18 July - 31 August when it runs every day. 

As well as the Osprays, Bassenthwaite is a popular location for sailing. The Bassenthwaite Sailing club has been in operation since 1952 with RYA, or RYA Affiliated Club members entitled to sail on the lake at a cost of £10 per day. The tranquillity and exclusivity of this lake make it an amazing sailing experience. When staying the sailors are lucky enough to stay in some of the best hotels Lake District has to offer.

Mirehouse is most definitely worth a visit. Alfred Lord Tennyson stayed at Mirehouse whilst writing his poem ‘Morte D’Arthur’ in 1835. It is a private house but open to the public on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. The grounds and a tea shop are open daily though. Further on from Mirehouse is an open air theatre erected by the Tennyson Society is the location where Tennyson was thought to have written most of that famous poem. All around the lake and the surrounding area is a strong literary feel along with a popular place for artists. The landscape is perfect for painting and photography. Work by local artists can be found in the excellent galleries in nearby Keswick. There is a selection of Keswick hotels to stay in whilst visiting.

Many who have stayed at the Best Western Castle Inn Hotel before, may already know that Bassenthwaite is home to The Lake District Osprey Project.

Bassenthwaite Lake, a key habitat for the ospreys, is a National Nature Reserve and a Special Area of Conservation owned and managed by the Lake District National Park Authority.

Each year these beautiful and rare birds return to nest and this Easter was made ‘eggstra’ special by the return of our male and female Osprey 2 weeks ago.  The female osprey laid her first egg of 2009 at the nest near Bassenthwaite Lake on Thursday 16th April.  The female bird is now incubating the egg and it is hoped that further eggs will be laid in the coming days.  Ospreys normally lay a clutch of three eggs.  Incubation is carried out mainly by the female and takes between 34-40 days.

Peter Wells, General Manager of The Castle Inn Hotel Keswick said: Staff at the hotel are very ‘eggcited’ that the first egg has been laid.  We are hopeful that there will be more eggs and that the clutch will hatch in time for our Spring Bank holiday visitors in May.
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Hotels are having to think even more creatively in order to entice guests in these tough times. With so many Lake District hotels offering discounted rates, which one do you choose? A clever marketing department should be looking at quirky offers or adding value which is something that many tourism businesses are heading towards these days. In 2008, the high quality 3 and 4 star Keswick hotels reported a good year and it is thought that the added value received from such establishments was one of the leading factors.

Of course, it isn’t just leisure guests that need to be lured. With businesses cutting staff and budgets, the business guest is just as important to target. Cumbria is an excellent stop off for business guests from the south on their way to Scotland. Another market is conferencing. Conferencing facilities and packages are offered in most of the larger hotels Lake District now. With most conferences held on week days, it is an excellent market to target. Creative marketing campaigns are springing up such as the Best Western ‘message focussed menu options’ where bread and water is an option if a team has recorded poor performance. This is an eye catching campaign but which saves the business money but helps to improve the performance of their team as the same time.
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