Online Booking

Book Now

For group bookings please contact
017687 77246 or
contact@derwentwater.org


Learning programmes for schools
and youth groups.

"It is three weeks since I left you at the crack of dawn to walk the next thirty two miles to Dalston on the Cumbria Way. Rain, wind and thick mist predominated as I rounded Skiddaw but after that I had a glorious walk, full of happiness. As ever staying in your hostel was an absolute delight ....the staff are all so welcoming and the ambiance perfect. I hope it is not too long before I am back."

Mary Pritchard, July 2019

Individual visits

Derwentwater Independent Hostel welcomes individual visitors from all over the world. Whether you want a long holiday on your own, exploring the Lake District National Park, or you are passing through for one night on the Coast to Coast cycle route, we look forward to hearing your stories and meeting your needs.

You will have the opportunity to make the most of our communal spaces and chat to fellow guests. However, if you really want to get away from it all (and everybody!) then there is plenty of space to be on your own and feel at ease. We do not have single rooms, but our dormitories are spacious and single-sex.

Here are some of the things that our individual visitors get up to:

  • Research: a great example is the geographical and geological research carried out by our frequent guest Peter Wilson. We were delighted when his fascinating book Lake District Mountain Landforms was published in 2010.
  • Photography: some of our visitors come several times a year, capturing the seasonal changes in the landscape.
  • Visiting friends and family.
  • Attending events such as the Keswick Film Festival, Words by the Water, the Keswick Jazz Festival and the Keswick Mountain Festival.
  • Training for different sports: we are the perfect base for cycling, open-water swimming, running, climbing, mountaineering, scrambling, kayaking, and paragliding.
  • Making the most of studying abroad: we love meeting intrepid foreign students from universities such as Manchester, Durham, Newcastle, Nottingham and Lancaster. Most of our student visitors use public transport and are visiting the Lake District for the first time. 
  • Inter-hostel walking and cycling.
Derwentwater Independent Hostel
Barrow House
Borrowdale
Keswick
Cumbria
CA12 5UR
Telephone: 017687 77246
Email: reception@derwentwater.org

Thank you to Geoff Williams, Rebecca Laff, Fiona McCarthy, John and Sam Snyder, and KTA for generously providing inspiring photographs.
Thank you to Lisa Bamford at Stoats and Weasels for designing our website, and to Sam Snyder for building it.
© 2013 Derwentwater Independent Hostel. All rights reserved. Registered charity: 1145368