Derwentwater

The waymarked circuit is about 10 miles (18 km), with long stretches of level path through woodland and along the water. It is a full-day outing once you include stops, and the surface is not uniformly smooth or step-free. Keswick's foreshore is the easiest starting point, while Great Wood and Kettlewell are useful alternatives for the longer loop.

For the clearest shore-level composition, follow the short walk to Friar's Crag. Its bench looks down the length of the lake toward Castle Crag, with Walla Crag and Maiden Moor framing the view. Cat Bells gives the memorable high panorama, but it is a separate fell walk with false summits and short rocky sections where you may need your hands.

Derwentwater is tied to the early history of landscape protection in the Lakes. Brandelhow, on the western shore, became the first place in the Lake District protected for the nation in 1902. Look for the National Trust sculptures around the shore, including the hands sculpture at Brandelhow and the Hundred Year Stone at Calfclose Bay.

The surrounding Atlantic oakwoods support red squirrels and a wide range of plants and animals. The lake is also home to vendace, a rare fish, though it is not something visitors should expect to see. Quiet woodland edges are the better places to pause for wildlife, away from the busiest foreshore.

The lake has four main islands: Derwent Isle, St Herbert's Isle, Lord's Island and Rampsholme. Boats make the islands and changing shoreline views part of the experience, while canoes, paddleboards and other non-powered craft offer a slower way onto the water. Keep equipment clean, drained and dry before moving it to another lake.