KESWICK

Keswick is a small market town of about 5,000 people in the Lake district. It is the most popular destination for tourists in the North lakes and has many hotels, pubs, restaurants and shops. The shops are not just Lake District equipment shops, although there are plenty of these. There are plenty of speciality shops, including a Harry Potter one, for browsing in. The particular lake associated with Keswick is Derwent water. There is also The Theatre by the Lake here with a resident company putting on 9-10 shows a year. The Pencil Museum is well worth a look, being more interesting than it sounds.

Keswick is easily accessed from the M6 motorway a trip of 17 miles from the Penrith junction. Public transport takes a bit longer by a bus from Carlisle. However, it is easy to spend several days in Keswick without having to leave the town.

 Lower Town

The easiest to spot is The Skiddaw Hotel and next door to it is The King's Arms. Walking further up is Oddfellows Arms. Cross over and look for an alley to Pack Horse Court and The Pack Horse Inn is just inside it. Come back to the street and walk down to The Inn on the Square and down a bit further The Golden Lion.

Now turn and go down the alley beside the Golden Lion which will lead you to a large car park. Over to your right will be The Back Bar. Walk out of the car park main entrance and the road opposite should be Brewery Lane which leads to The Flying Fox in The Keswick Brewery. Leave here and walk back to the car park and turn right along the road. Following the curve round brings you to The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Continue down the road and turn left back into the main street and The Bank Tavern is opposite you. If you have the correct timing you could walk away from the pedestrian area and then turn left at the mini roundabout. Cross over and walk past Booth’s supermarket and follow the road round to reach Keswick Rugby Club.

Pack Horse Inn is through an alleyway leading to shopping area. It has two entrances to what would have been two different rooms at one time. The right hand one takes you to the start of the opened-out room. There is an alcove style space to the left with a fire in it. The servery is against the far wall and is the usual brown wood and brass rails. The servery continues along with small round or rectangular dining height tables with chairs opposite it. The ceiling is white with some large dark beams. The carpet and walls are mainly red. At the end of the servery the second door is to the left and straight ahead are stairs. The stairs go up to a mezzanine level landing with more seating and tables then further upstairs to a top floor which has more seating and overlooks the stairwell.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Dizzy Blonde; Double Hop; Trooper; Wizard; Cumbria Way; Kettle Head Stout

Bitter: Robinson’s Smooth;

Lager: Fosters; Stella; Budweiser

Cider: Stowford Press; Strongbow Guinness

The Bank Tavern has an inn sign depicting Laurel and Hardy. Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston. Entrance is to a large room with lots of tables and chairs at dining height. The pub is geared up for serving traditional pub grub very well. Servery is to the left and is just big enough for the 16 fonts (8 real ale). At the right-hand side, the servery also serves the outside seating which is accessed to the right of the servery or by walking around the corner from the pub. This outside area has a large TV. Low ceiling with thin beams and occasional thick one with an attempt at horse brasses. Low lighting in what is a dark room. The room has pictures of old Keswick and the lakes. There is a smaller room through to the rear. Food most of the day. Dogs welcome.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Sneck Lifter; Jenning’s Bitter; Cumberland; Cocker Hoop; Tanners (Keswick); Old Empire IPA;; Hobgoblin; Wainwright Golden

Lager: Fosters; Birra Moretti; 1664; Stella

Cider: Strongbow dark fruit; Thatcher’s Gold Guinness

The Keswick Rugby club has limited opening hours and in the winter this is reduced to Thurs and Friday evening from 7, and the weekend. The entrance is to large function room with lots of long tables and chairs that can be changed around to suit the occasion. At the far left is a hatch for serving the hall and a door to a small bar room. The servery is against the right wall and there is a fireplace opposite it. There are a couple of tall tables and stools. Dogs are welcome and there is a large patio area overlooking the ground.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Wainwright Golden; Jenning’s Bitter

Bitter: Jenning’s Bitter Smooth; Cumberland Cream

Lager: Fosters; Estrella

Cider: Kingston Press Pearl Jet Stout

 Once in the pedestrianised area look up the street and see Moot Hall in the middle of it. Walk up past here to the left and discover The Royal Oak. Leaving The Royal Oak turn up left and walk up until near the lights there is The Lakes Bar and Bistro. Continue on across the lights to The Keswick Park Hotel.

Now return down the way you came only turning left at the corner where The George is. Up a little and across the street is The Square Orange.

Continue up the hill and turn right down Derwent St and turn right at the bottom, walking along to The Wainwright. Leaving here walk down the road opposite. First go to the Magnolia Belgium Beer Cafe on the left-hand side then cross over and up a little is 26.

Leave 26 by the rear exit which takes you out to a car park which you can walk around to the right and find the rear entrance to 18/20 Cellar Bar. (Alternatively, just walk back up the hill and turn left to get to it.) Once in here you leave by going up the stairs and turning left out of the front entrance. At the next corner there is Lake Road Inn to the left and up from it at the corner is the Dog and Gun

The Royal Oak

The centre entrance takes you down a tiled centre isle with the servery at the end of it. To the right and left of the isle there is a variety of dining style tables, large and small, and chairs around the windows and walls. There are fires on each side wall. There are some low tables with comfortable chairs and stools. The walls are cream with green lower wood. Partitioned off from the main seating area is the servery against the back wall. This has a shelve and stool area against the portioned wall. The servery is brown wood panelling and has lots of standing area in front of it.

There is a special pooch corner for dog of the month to win a free dinner; human food is also excellent.

Have a pint here.

Real ale: K4 new World IPA; Lunar Glow (Beer Studio) ; Wainwright Golden

Lager: Birra Moretti; estrella; Prevha

Cider: Rusted wheel; (Westons); Aspall; Mortimer’s Orchard Guinness

The Lakes Bar and Bistro seems more bistro than bar as most of the tables beyond the front area are set out for dining. A double shopfront window makes the room light and airy. The attractive servery is on the right-hand wall with some stools. The front area has a couple of low tables and sofas. There is some tall seating beside a shelf area along the window side.

Have a half pint here.

Real ale: Hobgoblin; Marston’s EPA

Bitter: Shipyard;Watsteiner

Lager: Estrella; Fosters; Peroni

Cider: Kingston Press

The Keswick Park Hotel has a decent sized outside patio. The small bar can be accessed through the hotel or by a side door. The servery is on the back wall and the room has a sofa and low table with four tall chairs against a ledge along the window. Beyond the servery room is a room with lots of dining tables down the sides.

Have a half pint

Real ale: La’al Yang (Keswick)

Bitter: Cameron’s steamer

Lager: Cruzcampo

Cider: Appleshed Guinness

The George Hotel

Once in the door there is seating to both sides. To the left there is more of a snug room feel to the space while to the right there are tables and chairs. The servery is to the rear right and up a step. The whole room has a low ceiling with beams and low lighting and dark wood. There is a large standing area in front of the servery. There is a large restaurant to the rear.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Wainwright Golden; SneckLifter; Jenning’s Bitter; Cocker Hoop; Cumberland; Brakspear

Bitter: Shipyard; Cumberland cream

Lager: Fosters; Birra Moretti; Stella4

The Square Orange designed with the aim of being a continental offering. It serves food (pizzas and tapas) beer, coffee, cake and wines. The beers include real ale and continental lagers. Wednesdays are live music evenings. The small servery is on the centre of the left wall. The dark wooden servery looks old and has an attractive old gantry behind it. Eclectic mix of tables and chairs crushed together although not oppressively so, as it is quite a relaxing place. Though how old school desks at to the charm! There is bench seating outside of the shop window. Dogs are welcome. Loads of blackboards (school again) giving lots of information so be careful not to miss something.

Have a pint here.

Real ale: Rydal pale ale (Tirelessly); Nut Brown (Carlisle)

Lager: Leffe; Erdinger; San Miguel; Birra Moretti

Cider: Aspall

The Wainwright Pub has a little seating outside by the door. The entrance takes you to a room on the right, a room straight ahead and veering right a back room beyond. The square servery serves all three spaces. The right-hand room has dining style and chairs; main room has some tables and many tall stools making use of shelves to rest drink while the back room has large wooden tables. the ceiling has some very large beams on ceiling and some small ones. The green walls are decorated with photos. Maps and drawings of the lakes. Food is served and dogs are welcome. 10% discount for CAMRA members on real ale (nearly a 40p saving)

Have a pint here

Has been West Cumbria CAMRA pub of the year runner-up in 2016

Regular in Good Beer Guide, including 2023, 2024

Real ale: Amazon Amber (Bowness Bay); Gold wing; Another Fine Mess (Ulverston); Oktohop Black IPA (Great Corby); RHYD ( Fell); Tinderbox IPA; Wainwright Golden

Bitter: John Smith; Jenning’s Bitter Smooth

Lager: Heineken;

26 is a pleasant bar/café/bistro. There is seating to the right by the window then the servery, with some heavy bar stools, starts on the right-hand wall. To the left of the door the main room, in front of the servery, has a variety of seating and table heights. There is further seating down to the left and this leads to the rear entrance close to the car park. Tea, coffee, cakes, meals, beer and dogs allowed. Often has music evenings.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Loweswater Gold

Lager: Stella; San Miguel

Magnolia is now called The Pocket Cafe Bar is a bar café that actually puts some thought into the bar part of it. It serves several real ales and has three fridges stalked with Belgium beer. Once in the centre door there is seating to either side. The tall servery starts half way up the right-hand wall. There is a lot of wood about – old wooden floor and the right-hand wall wooden planks – as well as old wooden tables to give it that old café feel. The room is very light as front is glazed like a shop window.

CAMRA pub of season 2016

have a pint here

Real ale: Eden Best; Eden pale; Another Fine Mess (Ulverston)

Bitter: Badlands Pale Ale ; New World IPA

Lager : Heifer Hefeweissbier; Whistling Pig Pilsner; Jimmy Howell Helles lager; Grimbergen Blonde

Cider: Thistley Cross

18/20 Cellar Bar is a small bar down stairs, at the right hand side of the restaurant. The bar can also be entered from the rear car park. The bar has low ceiling and lighting with the servery in the corner. There are some dining height tables and some low tables with couches. Several TVs and food available.

Have a half pint

Real ale: Forty Niner; Ringwood

Lager: Peroni; Estrella; Fosters

Cider: Thatcher’s Gold; Kingston Press Pearl Jet Stout

Lakes Road Inn is going for a modern rustic feel with lots of, predominately green, in various shades, painted wood and real fire. The corner door opens into a wood dominated room with a fire, flanked by shelves, on the small right-hand wall. This gives a cosy home feel to the pub. The room opens up a little with seating and three/four tables on both sides and the servery at the far end. To the right of the servery is another small seating area with four tables. Outside seating, dogs allowed and food available most of the day.

Have a pint here

Real ale: Unicorn; Trooper; Dizzy Blonde

Bitter: Robinson’s Smooth

Lager: Fosters; Birra Moretti; Carling; Hawkshead

Guinness

Dog and Gun is a small pub which is very popular with locals and tourists which lots of real ales and nice food. It is a thin pub with an entrance at either end of the servery. The right-hand entrance has a small room to the right with small tables and seating on a wooden floor. To the left is the servery against the back wall. Opposite the servery is some seating around a large table at the start, followed by banquette seating along the window wall with tables and chairs. This continues into the corner where the second entrance is. The low ceiling has dark beams with coins stuck in them. There are assorted pictures of old lake scenes on the wall accompanied by walking paraphernalia. Not a lot of standing room between bar stools and seats at the tables when occupied.

Have one here

CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2024

Real ale: Lake Land Gold (Hawkshead); Red (Hawkshead); Mutineers (Derwent); Jubilee (Kirkby Lonsdale); Loweswater Gold; Greene King IPA; Old Peculier; Wolf and Bang Ale (Keswick – special for pub)

Lager: Peroni; Amstel; Peroni; San Miguel; Stella; Blue Moon

Cider: Thatcher’s Gold