Derwentwater is the lake at the foot of the town, three miles long, low-lying, dotted with wooded islands, and almost entirely owned by the National Trust. The Keswick Launch runs a circuit of seven jetties around the shore, in both directions, all year round — and one of the great half-day outings of the Lake District is getting off at Hawes End, climbing Catbells, and walking back along the western shore to High Brandelhow for the next boat.
The lake has no road on the western side, which keeps it quieter than Windermere. In winter, when the water freezes thinly along the edges, the surrounding fells reflect in the glassy stretches in the middle. Friars Crag, a short walk from town, has a much-photographed view down the lake toward the jaws of Borrowdale.