Keswick (Cumbria)

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Coordinates: 54 ° 36 ′  N , 3 ° 8 ′  W

Map: United Kingdom
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Keswick (Cumbria)
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United Kingdom

Keswick ( ˈkɛzᵻk ) is a place with about 4200 inhabitants in the northern English Lake District in the county of Cumbria .

Surname

The name is derived from the Old Norse cese ( cheese ) and wik ( place ). Around 1240 the place was called Kesewic and around 1285 it was called Chesewyk .

geography

Keswick is located at the northern end of Derwent Water at the confluence of the River Greta with the River Derwent , which forms the outlet of Derwent Water and flows northwest through Bassenthwaite Lake to flow into the Irish Sea at the town of Workington .

To the north of the city is the Skiddaw Forest with the Skiddaw and Blencathra mountains , which are among the highest in the region.

The A66 runs through Keswick and connects Workington, Penrith and Carlisle . Another connection is to the south via Ambleside to Windermere and Kendal . To the west there is a connection via an unclassified road over Newlands Pass to Buttermere .

landscape

The landscape is characterized by many elongated valleys that were formed by glaciers during the last ice age . During the times of the British Empire , the forests were completely cut down, so that a barren landscape was created, in which today many flocks of sheep prevent possible new growth with bushes and trees.

Attractions

Mining was carried out on a small scale in the 16th century, including graphite . This resulted in a pencil factory that has survived to this day and produces widespread, high-quality writing and drawing pens, which have a good reputation among artists. This tradition of pencil production is taken into account with a “Pencil Museum”.

The Moot Hall previously served as the town hall and now houses the tourist information office and an art gallery. The current building was built in 1813, but sources point to structures in the same location as early as 1571.

Not far from Keswick, on a hilltop surrounded by the mountains of the Lake District, is the Castlerigg Stone Circle , one of the largest stone circles in England.

Cultural offer

In the small town there are a number of cultural and leisure activities:

  • Mini golf: No mini golf in the German sense, but a golf course on grass in the smallest format. The place is open to every visitor.
  • Keswick Golf Club: About six kilometers east of the small village of Threlkeld is an 18-hole golf course.
  • Hope Park: Right next to the mini golf course is the very lovingly tended park
  • Blue Theater: It was actually a mobile theater, but has found its permanent home in Keswick. But if you look behind the scenes, you can always see the design that is tailored to the trailer. It got its name from the uniform blue paintwork. It was replaced by the new building, the Theater by the Lake
  • Keswick Launch: A boat trip on Derwent Water. The boats can be disembarked and re-entered at any landing stage for a break or a hike.
  • Boat hire on the Keswick Launch Pier
  • Automobile Museum: This museum shows automobiles that have played a role in film or television productions. So there are z. B. KITT from Knight Rider , Laurel and Hardy's Ford Model T or the racing cars from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang .
  • Weekly Market: Keswick was in 1276 by King Edward I. the market right conferred and the market is held every Saturday on the marketplace around the Moot Hall.

Excursion destinations

Numerous excursion destinations can be found in the vicinity:

  • Whinlatter Park: A large park dedicated to imparting knowledge about wood and forest. There you can indulge in an English national sport: Orienteering , a scavenger hunt. The Whinlatter has courses of various sizes and levels with over 100 control points.
  • Ospreywatch: About five kilometers northwest of Keswick can be one of a viewpoint the nest Osprey (Engl. Osprey ) on the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake observe who is back home there for several years.
  • Village of Grange: With a rustic café and the Bowder Stone, a climbing boulder .
  • Teahouse at Hawse End: Somewhat hidden in the forest, but you can enjoy your tea the old English way.

Remarks

  1. Lake District Place Names , Robert Gambles, Dalesman Books, Clapham 1985
  2. UK attraction ( Memento of the original from July 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ukattraction.com

Web links

Commons : Keswick (Cumbria)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files