Spectacular and varied lakeland landscape around Derwent Water
Explore Borrowdale in autumn, breathe in the scents and soak up the colours, whether you choose woodland walks, riverside rambles or easy access viewpoints.
Derwent Water is often called the 'Queen of the Lakes', and as you canoe between the islands with your picnic at the ready it's easy to see why. The friendly staff at our shop and information centre on the Keswick Foreshore will help you out with local knowledge about canoeing, interesting things to see and walks to do.
At the south end of Derwent Water, the boardwalk across the wetlands makes the 9-mile circular walk around the lake a very pleasant leg stretch, with the chance to see otters and wetland birds if you're lucky. The jewel in the crown is Derwent Island House, open for five special days each year, as does Force Crag Mine - a hidden gem at the foot of a waterfall in the Coledale valley.
As Borrowdale winds the 7 miles from Keswick to Seathwaite, there are eight National Trust car parks from which you can start your adventure into the fells. Directions for iconic routes like Castle Crag and Cat Bells are in our Rangers' Guide to Borrowdale on sale from our shop and from our membership recruiters with their trusty Landrovers.
Most of our places run the Gift Aid on Entry scheme at their admission points. Under this scheme, if you're not a member you have the choice of two entry tickets:
If the place runs Gift Aid on Entry, we'll offer you the Gift Aid Admission prices. But it's entirely up to you which ticket you choose. If you want the Standard Admission instead, just let us know when you come to pay.
Gift Aid Admission includes a 10 per cent or more voluntary donation. Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid* — an extra 25 per cent — potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.
An extra £1 paid under the scheme can be worth over £3 to the National Trust as shown below: Payment of the additional percentage donation is entirely voluntary, so if you prefer to pay the standard admission please advise our reception staff at the till point.
| Gift Aid | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount paid by visitor | £11.00 | £10.00 |
| Tax refund from Government* | £2.75 | £0.00 |
| Total received by the National Trust | £13.75 | £10.00 |
Shop: open first three weekends in December, 10 to 4. Visit website for Force Crag Mine and Derwent Island House open days
