Thank you Keswick, but I won't be back

[Bobby Mhor]

Skiddaw at the back of Keswick isn't busy this time of the year.............

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Last time I was on the summit of Skiddaw it was full of bloody cyclists..
excuse image as I just screendumped a You Tube video

I've been heading to Keswick since the late 70s on an almost annual basis and I find the car is getting parked further and further away from town to escape the parking charges, you can still park 10 mins away no problem. Wotherspoons is a god send to the place. Mrs M does the walking in town, I just get dropped off somewhere and head up to meet the well worn walking gear wearers, it's easier that way.

 

[Andy_R]

Skiddaw at the back of Keswick isn't busy this time of the year.............

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Ah, Skiddaw.....probably the most boring walk in the Lakes....

 

[AndyRM]

In the grumpy spirit of the OP...

Yeah, cos a wee independent chippy is comparable to a Wetherspoons and public conveniences (parking included) require no maintenance.

 

[Ian H]

Living just off the main tourist drag, I do feel for the people who reside right in the thick of things. Less so the tourists.

 

[Piemaster]

Apparently the pencil museum is quite interesting, but I just can't bring myself to find out.

No its not. Or so my wife and kids said. Me, I was out on the lake on a paddleboard at the time, no North Face in evidence

 

[swansonj]

Head for the Western lakes. Wasdale or Buttermere equal anything in the centre and are mostly much quieter.

 

[Spinney]

Ah, Skiddaw.....probably the most boring walk in the Lakes....

The trick is to go up via Ullock Pike and Carl Side.

 

[Fab Foodie]

One of the motorhomes could have been Foodie and Wimpers, they like a spot of Wild Camping .

.... and it’s seems from what we read that it’s getting harder to do that as well.....

 

[dodgy]

Grasmere still has charm and is relatively quiet (we spent a week there very recently), but it's busier than before, there'll come a time when the reason we go there no longer exists and we'll stop.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Hungarian Goulash with home made chunks of garlic bread used to be my favourite in the Dog and Gun.

 

[Moodyman]

Once a place has become overly popular it's time to move on.

Northern Dave mentioned Ilkley earlier. This is a lovely little town on the edge of some fine cycling country. Since the Tour de France and subsequent Tour de Yorkshire's there's been a surge of visitors to the area.

Great for local businesses, but now it just feels too crowded.

 

[chriswoody]

The Pencil museum had a display of broken pencils a while back, but it was a bit pointless.


I'll get my coat...

 

[PaulSB]

We've always loved a visit to keswick. Usually out of season, but we've gone plenty of times in the summer too.
Haven't been for a while, but eldest daughter is home and asked to go.
We usually park just outside and have a nice walk in, but due to the inconsiderate parking of others - including quite a few motor homes that looked like they'd been there for the night - we couldn't get a space.
Drove into the centre to the main car park and attempted to pay £5.30 for parking, only the machine wouldn't accept coins. Tried again with my card but it kept cancelling the transaction. It took us 20 minutes to get a machine that would actually take the money!!!
Went to the loo - 40 p for the privilige!!! The lady in front of me used a card to pay for goodness sakes!!- and the space was so small I had to get an awful lot closer to other people than I'd normally choose to in that situation.
Then it cost me £12 for two bags of chips, a pasty, bottle of water and a coke. How can a single pasty cost almost as much as a meal in a weatherspoons?!
And do people planning a holiday to the lakes all go out and buy north face or rab clothes and rucksacks - you know like you buy a bikini if you're going on a beach holiday - or do they own them already?! And do you really need walking boots and a stick to get from the car park to the coffee shop?!
And so many dogs on stretchy leads!!!!
I just didn't enjoy it at all today.
Are there any places that you feel you've outgrown or that have just lost their finish?

When you boil this down the bulk of the issue is the people who chose to visit Keswick and I do understand your frustration. This isn’t Keswick’s fault.

£5.30 to park for the day. Reasonable I would say. I can point you to some National Trust car parks which charge £10!

40p for the loo? Yep probably over the top. 20p would be reasonable. Someone has to pay for the upkeep and should it be Keswick residents? If I lived there it would be a no.

The food? We pay a lot for junk. The retailer is responsible not Keswick. Take a picnic or drop in to a decent cafe.

We like Keswick as well but fortunately don’t have to visit in season.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Ah, Skiddaw.....probably the most boring walk in the Lakes....

Come up it from the back. Much wilder, quieter, and interesting.

 

[MontyVeda]

Best avoided at weekends and during holidays... but i do enjoy an annual run up to Keswick. I don't actually run... I get the bus, mostly for the journey rather than the destination.