Keswick Boat Trips: Derwentwater Launches, Prices and Walks
Keswick boat trips centre on the Derwentwater launches, with six jetties, round-lake cruises and one-way hops that start a Catbells walk. Here is how to plan one.
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The main boat trip from Keswick is the Keswick Launch on Derwentwater, which runs a 50-minute circuit of the lake or sells day tickets for hopping on and off at the jetties along the shore. Round-trip fares published for adults are £14.75, with children aged 5 to 15 at £7.50 and under-fives free.
The launches are best treated as transport as much as sightseeing: a single-stage ticket gets you to a jetty for a fell walk, and the boat brings you back to the town centre at the end. Rowing boats and self-drive motor boats are also hired from the boat landings if you would rather steer yourself, one option among many things to do in Keswick.
Where the boats leave from
All cruises start and finish at the Keswick boat landings on Lake Road, a short walk from the town centre and the lake shore. Buy tickets at the booking office at the landings before you board; if you join the launch at any other jetty around the lake, you pay on the boat, preferably by card. The launch company's listed address is Lake Road, Keswick CA12 5DJ.
Allow a little time at the landings before departure rather than arriving on the minute. Sailings run in both directions around the lake, clockwise and anti-clockwise, so check the direction when you buy so that your first stop is the one you want.
The Derwentwater route and its jetties
Keswick Launch calls at jetties around Derwentwater, with the Keswick boat landings as the start and end of the circuit; Ashness Gate serves Ashness Bridge, Surprise View and Watendlath; Lodore serves Lodore Falls, the Chinese Bridge and the Borrowdale valley; High Brandelhow serves National Trust woodland and routes up Catbells and Maiden Moor; Low Brandelhow serves Brandelhow wood and parkland and the Entrust hand sculpture; and Hawes End is the main stop for the climb up Catbells.
Stay aboard for the full loop and you get a 50-minute trip around Derwentwater without leaving your seat; a hop-on, hop-off ticket turns the same route into a day of short walks from different jetties. Farm Stay describes the same arrangement, with launches calling at the lakeshore jetties so you can embark or rejoin at will.
Tickets and prices
The round-trip fares for the adult, child and family tickets are set out at the Visit Keswick page, along with the cheaper single-stage tickets for passengers who only want the boat to reach a destination. Those start at £3 for an adult and £1.50 for a child, so a one-way hop to a jetty costs far less than paying for the full loop twice.
Decide before you buy whether you need the loop or just a crossing. If your plan is a walk from Hawes End or Low Brandelhow and back, a hop-on, hop-off ticket is the flexible purchase; if you are walking one way along the shore and returning by boat from a single jetty, the stage fare is the cheaper choice.
Summer and winter operation
The summer season runs from 16 March to 10 November, when cruises operate in both directions around the lake. Weather conditions can stop sailings, so a windy or wet forecast is worth factoring into your day.
From 11 November to 14 March the launches run only on certain dates: 11 to 17 and 23 to 24 November, 8 to 28 February and 1 to 2 and 8 to 14 March, with January closed. Build a winter visit around those dates rather than expecting a daily service, and check current dates and times with Keswick Launch when you book.
Park and Sail
Keswick Rugby Club at Davidson Park, Crow Park Road, Keswick CA12 5EG offers all-day parking for £5 and 15 per cent off your Keswick Launch ticket. The ticket office is about a 12-minute walk from the rugby club, which keeps the car out of the congested lakefront.
For step-free access to the water, the Lakeside Car Park beside the Theatre by the Lake puts you closest to the boat landings. Choose between the two on how much walking you want before and after the cruise, since the rugby club deal involves the walk into town.
Catbells without the car park
Catbells has very little parking and no physical car park, so the launch is the practical way up. Take the boat to Hawes End or High Brandelhow, walk up Catbells, and catch the launch back across the water into the centre of Keswick; the Hawes End jetty is the main starting point for the climb.
If you park at the rugby club, the same trip comes with the parking discount on your launch ticket, so the fell day and the cruise are one purchase. After the walk, a drink or a bite in Keswick rounds off the day before you drive home.
Low Brandelhow to Lodore walk
A good half-day combines the boat with a shore walk: ride to Low Brandelhow jetty, follow the edge of Derwentwater to Lodore jetty, and rejoin the launch there. The route is roughly 2.5 to 3 miles and takes about an hour, on easily accessible paths through woodland with views across the water, and it crosses the Chinese Bridge.
After heavy rainfall the path to the bridge can flood; a detour through Grange avoids the water, so keep that in reserve if the weather has been wet. Pack a picnic for the shore and take your rubbish away, and treat a swim in the lake with care, entering the cold water slowly even on a hot day.
Rowing boats and self-drive motor boats
Beyond the cruises, rowing boats and self-drive motor boats are hired from the Keswick boat landings, charged by the hour or half hour. That suits a short spell on the water without committing to a full circuit, and gives you control of where you go on Derwentwater.
Pay at the landings and match the hire length to the weather, since an open boat on a windy lake is a different proposition from a covered launch. If rain sets in, keep the indoor activities in Keswick in reserve, with Keswick Museum among the options for a wet afternoon.
Other boat trips in the Lakes from Keswick
For a second day on the water, the 509 bus runs from Keswick to Pooley Bridge or Glenridding, where you can board one of the Ullswater Steamers. The 555 bus goes from Keswick to Bowness on Windermere for the Windermere cruises, and Coniston Water has its own Coniston Launch, though there is no direct bus from Keswick to Coniston. If you are weighing other city-based cruises against these, our guide to Canterbury boat trips covers the River Great Stour and Grove Ferry.
Bus and boat together make a car-free day out, but the timings matter more than they do on Derwentwater, so plan the return bus before you set off. Treat these as separate excursions rather than add-ons to a Keswick cruise.
Organised tours from Keswick
English Lakes Tours runs scheduled minibus tours from Keswick for small groups of up to seven, with half-day itineraries such as the Beatrix Potter Morning at £99 per person, the Eight Lakes tours at £79 per person and a Wordsworth Morning tour from £79 per person. Several half-day tours last about four hours, and the Wordsworth tours about three and a half.
Full-day options include the Ultimate Lake District Tour at £169 per person, roughly 8.5 hours and including a boat trip on Ullswater, and the Brontës tour at £179 per person at about nine hours. Private versions are priced per group, from £467 for a Beatrix Potter morning to £915 for the Ultimate tour.
These prices and durations sit alongside the Derwentwater launches rather than replacing them, so a short break can mix a self-guided cruise with one guided day further afield. Match the tour to your interests rather than the headline lake count.
What to book ahead and what to buy on the day
Book guided minibus tours in advance, since group sizes are capped at six or seven guests and the per-person places are limited. The Derwentwater launches are simpler: buy at the booking office for a Keswick start, or pay on the boat at the other jetties, preferably by card.
For a winter date, confirm a sailing exists before building the day around it, because the service is not continuous through the season. In summer, the main decision is the ticket type rather than availability.
Practical trade-offs
The launches are exposed to the weather, and sailings can be cancelled when conditions are poor, so keep a wet-weather plan. The Low Brandelhow to Lodore path floods after heavy rain, and the Grange detour adds distance.
Winter visitors face the sharpest constraint: January is closed and the other winter months run on selected dates only, so a boat trip is not a given on a cold-weather break. Summer gives the widest choice but also the busiest lakefront, which is where the rugby club parking and discount help.
Plan Your Visit
Build the day around one clear purpose: a round-lake cruise for the views, a hop-on, hop-off ticket for jetty walks, or a single-stage fare to start the Catbells climb. Book the guided minibus tours ahead and buy launch tickets at the landings or on the boat.
Travel in the 16 March to 10 November season for a full service, use the rugby club parking deal if you are driving, and keep the Low Brandelhow to Lodore walk for a dry spell.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are there boat trips in Keswick?
Yes. The Keswick Launch runs cruises around Derwentwater from the Keswick boat landings on Lake Road, with a 50-minute circuit or hop-on, hop-off tickets at the lakeshore jetties. Rowing boats and self-drive motor boats are also hired from the landings by the hour or half hour.
How long is the Derwentwater lake cruise?
The full circuit of the lake takes about 50 minutes if you stay aboard. With a hop-on, hop-off ticket you can stretch that into a day by getting off at jetties such as Lodore or Hawes End and rejoining a later sailing.
Can you hop on and off the Keswick Launch?
Yes. Day tickets allow you to leave the boat at the six jetties and rejoin later, which suits short walks from Ashness Gate, Lodore, High Brandelhow, Low Brandelhow or Hawes End. Single-stage tickets are available if you only need one crossing.
Do the Keswick boats run in winter?
Only on selected dates between 11 November and 14 March, and January is closed. The rest of the winter runs on specific dates in November, February and March. Check current details before planning a winter boat day.
Can you get the boat to Catbells?
Yes. Take the launch to Hawes End, the main stop for the climb, or to High Brandelhow and walk up from there. There is very little parking and no physical car park at Catbells, so the boat avoids that problem entirely.
Where do you park for Keswick boat trips?
Keswick Rugby Club at Davidson Park on Crow Park Road offers all-day parking and a discount on your launch ticket; the current charge and discount percentage are on the Visit Keswick page. The Lakeside Car Park beside the Theatre by the Lake is closer to the boat landings if you would rather skip the walk.
How much is the ferry from Keswick to Hawes End?
A single-stage ticket covers a one-way hop to a jetty such as Hawes End, and the Visit Keswick price list gives the adult and child stage fares alongside the full round-trip and family tickets. The booking office at the landings can confirm the fare for your date.
What other boat trips can I do from Keswick?
Take the 509 bus to Pooley Bridge or Glenridding for the Ullswater Steamers, or the 555 bus to Bowness on Windermere for the Windermere cruises. Coniston Launch runs on Coniston Water, though there is no direct bus from Keswick to Coniston.
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