Our favourite free things to do with the kids
Map
- Feed the ducks on Derwentwater
- Visit Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Walk to Friars Crag
- Enjoy a picnic in Hope Park
- Walk up Castlehead
- Walk round Derwentwater and find the hands
- Visit Millican Dalton’s Cave
- Go over the stepping stones in Rosthwaite
- Visit the locations of Beatrix Potter’s books
- Discover a forest path
- Climb a fell and enjoy the view
- Play football or ride the BMX track in Fitz Park
- Visit the Bowder Stone
Climb a fell and enjoy the view
A great fell for children to climb, easily achievable in 2-3 hours depending on your pace. The views from the summit over Keswick town, Derwentwater and the surrounding fells are breath-taking and will give a real sense of achievement. Latrigg is an excellent half day walk to combine with the promise of a visit to Fitz Park at the end of the walk. For smaller children take the route through the park for a sneak preview before you start on the climb up Latrigg so it can provide a great incentive as an end of walk treat. Tired legs suddenly seem to become re-energised at the sight of swings and slides.
Play football or ride the BMX track in Fitz Park
Just a few minutes stroll from Keswick Market Square, Fitz Park has a riverside setting with glorious open views towards Skiddaw and Latrigg and is an ideal spot for picnics. The Lower Park has a large open recreational area, cricket pavilion and fantastic children's playground as well as a multi use games area, gym equipment and BMX track. The upper park is a smaller formal area with bowling green, grass tennis courts and and putting green and an arboretum. For enquiries about opening hours of the games at Fitz Park tel 017687 73445.
Feed the ducks on Derwentwater
Derwentwater, one of Keswick’s defining treasures — its islands, launches, shoreline walks and how to reach the water.
Visit Castlerigg Stone Circle
One of Britain’s earliest stone circles, on a natural plateau east of Keswick with the fells standing all around it.
Walk to Friars Crag
The short walk from town to the most-painted view in Keswick, and the memorial to the writer who never forgot seeing it at five years old.
Enjoy a picnic in Hope Park
Located between the town centre and Derwentwater, Hope Park 's beautiful garden make it a favourite place to visit en route to and from the lake. There is plenty of seating where you can just relax and watch the world go by. It also offers traditional games and a cafe.
Walk up Castlehead
The whole of Derwentwater and a bird’s-eye view over the town, from a hill you can climb and come back from inside an hour.
Walk round Derwentwater and find the hands
A scenic 10 mile waymarked walk around Derwentwater, Queen of the Lakes. On flat and easy paths, the walk passes through woodlands and along the lake shore. It can be broken down into smaller stretches by using the Keswick Launch.
Visit Millican Dalton’s Cave
An easy short walk from Rosthwaite with lots of interest for children. Climb up to Millican Dalton's Cave and imagine living in there, play pooh sticks on the bridges, picnic by the river and go for a paddle. Finish the walk by crossing the river via the stepping stones.
Go over the stepping stones in Rosthwaite
A walking base in Borrowdale: stepping stones, Castle Crag, the Langstrath valley, and the cave where Millican Dalton spent fifty summers.
Visit the locations of Beatrix Potter’s books
The poets who made Keswick a literary town, and the places on Derwentwater and in Newlands that Beatrix Potter drew into her books.
Discover a forest path
Great Wood, Cockshot Wood, Dodd Wood and Whinlatter Forest: waymarked walks from fifteen minutes upwards, wild play areas, red squirrels and ospreys.
Visit the Bowder Stone
One of the most famous rocks in the Lake District, a ten-minute stroll off the B5289 in Borrowdale — and you can climb it.
And three that are anywhere
Go for a paddle in one of our lakes, walk round one of them, and wrap up warm and go star-gazing. KTA left those three open on purpose and so have we — there is no one right place for any of them.
The Keswick Mouse Trail
The Keswick Mouse Trail is free. Collect a map from outside the Keswick Cheese Deli in Packhorse Court and see if you can find Gerald and all his little mouse friends, playing hide and seek around the town.
The map gives a clue as to where they are, but you have got to spot them. Find all 21 and then pop into the deli to have your map stamped. They have badges you can buy to show you completed the trail, and all the profits go to Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
It does not have to be done in a day. Take your time and call into some of the places the mice are hiding in.
Did you know?
The name Keswick is first recorded in the 13th century as “Kesewic”. It is suggested that it combines the Old English word “cēse”, meaning cheese, with the Scandinavian initial k. Cheese is still made in Keswick to this day.
Ideas for family days out
Seventeen places picked by children at the five primary schools around Keswick, described in their own words.
Read moreWritten by locals
Which routes take a pushchair, which make a good first fell, and which finish at a playground.
Read moreNineteen routes
Fitz Park’s playground and BMX track, Hope Park’s games and cafe, and Crow Park by the lake.
Read moreFree
The traffic-free railway path to Threlkeld, and the graded trails and bike hire at Whinlatter.
Read moreTraffic free
Canoes, kayaks and paddle boards on Derwentwater, and ghyll scrambling for older children.
Read moreGet wet
High ropes, zip wires, segways, archery and adventure play — a day made of several things.
Read moreAll weather
The Puzzling Place, the Pencil Museum, Keswick Museum, the Alhambra Cinema and the Keswick Launch.
Things to doRainy days
Voted the most family friendly rural destination in the UK
Keswick was named HomeAway’s most family friendly UK destination in the rural category in 2020, taking nearly half of all the votes in the category. The comments included “plenty of family activities”, “nature at its finest” and “the ideal place to remind oneself what life is about”.
Somewhere to stay with the children
Cottages, guest houses, hotels, holiday parks and camping — many of them geared up for families.