Bassenthwaite Tourist Information

Bassenthwaite Lake Tourist Information

Beautiful Bassenthwaite Lake, a narrow strip of water north of Keswick which was once adjoined to Derwentwater, is a national nature reserve. Ospreys are often sighted here on Bassenthwaite, and the lake is surrounded by fen marshland, woodlands and reed beds which is rich in wildlife including many species of birds. Bassenthwaite is one of the Lake District’s most popular lakes for birdwatching.

Luxury Lake District spas, great family attractions like The Lake District Wildlife Park and beautiful lakeside estates and gardens like Mirehouse all feature around Bassenthwaite. Excellent watersports are also available on the Lake and a outdoor activity centres are in the area.

Mirehouse & Gardens By Bassenthwaite Lake

Visit beautiful historic home Mirehouse, a real family friendly stately home attraction, which has strong literary links to the Romantic poets including Wordsworth and sits just three miles north west of Keswick along the shores of Bassenthwaite.

Mirehouse includes four outdoor adventure playgrounds set within the wooded estate. Poetry trails, live piano sessions, a delightful tearoom and extensive gardens are all on-site. Tours of the house include displays of letters from Wordsworth, Tennyson, Southey and other famous poets from the Romantic era.

Activities & Family Attractions around Bassenthwaite

Outdoor activities on and around Bassenthwaite Lake include a fantastic range of water sports and land based outdoor pursuits. Outdoor activity centres in the area offer everything from rock climbing and Ghyll Scrambling to kayaking, canoeing, walking and archery. At the Northern end of Bassenthwaite sits top family attraction, The Lake District Wildlife Park, a 24 acre wildlife park with over 100 species including birds of prey, Zebra and many rare species including Canadian Lynx and Ring Tailed Lemurs.

Osprey Watching around Bassenthwaite

Magical fish-eating bird the Osprey breeds around Bassenthwaite Lake, and with a wingspan of up to five feet is a spectacular site. Best outdoor viewpoints from which to see the Ospreys at Bassenthwaite are at Dodd Wood, just 3 miles north of Keswick. An Upper and Lower Viewpoint are around the lake positioned just half a mile apart. An Osprey Exhibition also features at the Whinlatter Visitor Centre just west of Keswick.

Luxury Spa Breaks at Bassenthwaite

Enjoy luxury pamper days and day spa experiences at stunning country house hotels with spas situated alongside Bassenthwaite. The area is famed for its luxury lakeside spa breaks, with luxury spa hotels in the area offering an idyllic setting and extensive on-site leisure facilities including infinity edge indoor swimming pools, exercise studios and state of art gyms, aroma roosm, steam rooms and hydrotherapy pools. Many of Bassenthwaite’s luxury spa hotels hold civil ceremony licenses and make the perfect wedding venue.