Braithwaite

Braithwaite is a village of stone cottages and old inns two miles west of Keswick, where Coledale Beck runs out of the fells into the flat land at the head of Bassenthwaite Lake. It sits at the bottom of the Whinlatter Pass, and it is a quieter, cheaper alternative to staying in Keswick, with the town a short bus ride away. The village has a small shop, a campsite and several places to stay, so it works well as a self contained base.

For walkers, it is one of the best starting points in the northern Lakes. The Coledale Horseshoe, taking in Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Eel Crag and Causey Pike, is a classic round that starts and finishes in the village. Barrow and Outerside offer a shorter day, and the Newlands Valley, with Catbells on its eastern side, is just to the south. Causey Pike, with its distinctive knobbly summit, rises just south of the village and is a good short climb in its own right, while the Newlands Valley is a gentle walk among farms and old mine workings.

Up the pass, Whinlatter Forest, billed as England's only mountain forest, has a Forestry England visitor centre, waymarked walks, mountain bike trails and, in summer, views of the ospreys that nest by Bassenthwaite Lake. The village pubs are a fixture of the end of the walking day.

Parking in the village is limited, and Whinlatter Pass is steep and narrow at the top. Coledale Beck can rise very fast after heavy rain.