The tiny village of Bassenthwaite stands by one of the largest of Lakeland’s waters, Bassenthwaite Lake, just five miles from Keswick. Bassenthwaite Lake is joined via a three mile neck of the River Derwent to Keswick’s Derwent Water. The village with fewer than 500 residents has no shop these days, but it does have its village green, its stream, and a good pub with the inglenook fireplace beloved of walkers after a fell storm. There is accommodation for visitors in the nearby lakeside lodges, and in the warm and welcoming Castle Inn. A mile from the village down a footpath there is one of Lakeland’s oldest churches, the Norman St Bega’s, in a picturesque setting by the Lake. Inside a very practical object can be found, an iron hourglass by which sermons were timed. Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur was inspired by its setting, and he wrote much of the poem at Mirehouse, a 17th century manor on the eastern shore of the lake. Bassenthwaite Lake is four miles long, about three-quarters of a mile wide, and is a draw to visitors for many reasons. Walkers trek the path along its western edge. Sailors revel in its space. Birders have long come to see the migratory birds here, but since 2001 they have been drawn by the ospreys, magnificent fish eagles with a five foot wingspan. And fishermen come to try for salmon, trout, perch, and most especially pike. It is also home to a very rare UK fish, the vendace. Rarer still is the Eachy here. An Eachy is a lake monster, human in form, slimy and horrible to behold, and one was spotted here (it is said) in 1973.
Holiday Park
Pub and Bar
Places to Stay near Bassenthwaite
Castle Inn Hotel (0.82 miles)
Set beneath some of England's highest fells and overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake, the Castle Inn Hotel and Spa is ideally located between the beautiful market towns of Keswick and Cockermouth and offers the ideal location from ... More | visit website
Lakeland Cottages (1.00 miles)
Ravenstone Hotel (1.32 miles)
Ravenstone Hotel is a delightful country hotel set in over 2 acres of its own grounds, just 4 miles from Keswick and close to Bassenthwaite in the Lake District. There ... More
Armathwaite Hall (1.49 miles)
Few hotels are so beautifully situated as Armathwaite Hall - one of the original stately homes of England. Magnificently set in the secluded splendor of 400 acres of deer park and woodland, bordered by the ... More | visit website
Overwater Hall Hotel (1.64 miles)
Set in 18 acres of gardens and woodland, this elegant Grade II listed hotel in the unspoilt northern Lake District is family run, offering genuine hospitality in a relaxed, friendly ... More
Link House (2.15 miles)
Pheasant (2.16 miles)
The Pheasant (2.16 miles)
The Pheasant is a charming old Coaching Inn situated close to Bassenthwaite Lake at the unspoilt, northern end of the Lake District. It is one of the last remaining traditional ... More | visit website
Lyzzick Hall Hotel (4.10 miles)
Offering an ideal setting for a relaxing break in the Lake District, this beautiful country house hotel is located on the lower slopes of Skiddaw. Being situated in the northern Lake District ... More
Woodlands Country House (4.34 miles)
First rate accommodation in a beautiful Victorian Country House. Superb food and wine, beautiful rural location, away from the crowds. Why not escape from the pressures of life and let ... More
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