Lake District Webcam – See the Weather on Derwentwater

The Lake District Webcam looks down over Derwent Water Marina at Portinscale, a village near the western shore of Derwentwater in Cumbria, England. The foreground is the working side of the marina: a gravel yard of dinghies and kayaks on trailers, a sheltered pool beside the slipway, and the car park. Past them, sailing boats lie on their moorings and the open lake runs out to a wooded far shore, with a ridge of fells rising behind. The scene changes with the season and the hour. A dry summer day can bring hire kayaks out of the yard and onto the pool, while low cloud on a wet one often cuts the fell tops off entirely. A second tab switches to a separate camera trained on the south face of Skiddaw.

About Derwent Water Marina and Portinscale

The marina sits on the outskirts of Portinscale, which had 560 residents at the 2011 census and lies 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from Keswick. The River Derwent runs between the two, crossed by the Long Bridge, a medieval bridge of two arches that once carried the main road. The camera is run by the marina together with Stay By The Lake, which lets self-catering apartments on the same lakeside site. The marina hires out kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, pedalos and rowing boats, teaches sailing and paddle sports, and runs a watersports shop and chandlery. The white trailer beside the pool carries the marina’s name and a “For Hire” sign.

Derwentwater itself is 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) long and up to 1.91 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide, with a maximum depth of 22 meters (72 feet) and a surface 75 meters (246 feet) above sea level. The River Derwent both feeds the lake and drains it. Four islands break the water: Derwent Island, Lord’s Island, Rampsholme Island and St Herbert’s Island. Keswick stands immediately north of the lake, and Nichol End serves as Portinscale’s landing stage for the lake launch.

Two Victorian country houses by the architect Alfred Waterhouse stand just outside the village, Fawe Park, built in 1858, and Lingholm, from the 1870s. Just north of Keswick, Skiddaw reaches 931 meters (3,054 feet) and is traditionally counted as the fourth-highest peak in England. Its south face is the subject of the second tab, run by KCS and keswick.net, which looks across a flat green field to the long flank of the mountain, with dark woodland on its lower slopes.

Weather and Climate at Derwentwater

The nearest long climate record is Keswick’s, where averages for 1991 to 2020 give 1,575 millimeters (62 inches) of rain a year. That rain shapes what the camera shows. On many days cloud sits on the fells across the lake and the far shore fades to grey, and a breezy day ruffles the water around the moorings. January averages 7.4°C (45°F) by day and 2.0°C (36°F) at night, and snow on the higher tops is possible in a cold spell. April warms to 12.4°C (54°F), with nights near 4.4°C (40°F).

Summer is the marina’s busy season, when its paddle craft go out for hire. July averages 19.8°C (68°F) by day and 11.6°C (53°F) at night, and this far north the picture stays lit until late evening in June and July. October drops back to 13.5°C (56°F) by day and 6.8°C (44°F) at night. By then the bracken on Skiddaw has turned rust brown, a color that shows clearly on the second tab.

Things to Do Near Derwentwater

The marina is the obvious place to get on the water, with paddle craft for hire and sailing tuition. It does not hire motor boats and points visitors to the Keswick Launch Company instead. The launch runs a circular route from Keswick, calling at Nichol End for Portinscale and at landing stages that include Hawes End, High and Low Brandelhow, Lodore and Ashness. Lodore is the stop for Lodore Falls, and along with Keswick and Portinscale it is one of the most popular calls on the lake.

Catbells, at 451 meters (1,480 feet), rises on the lake’s western side. The walking route published by keswick.org starts at the Hawes End landing stage, best reached on the launch, and covers about 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles). Closer to the marina, the Lingholm Estate sits just outside Portinscale. Beatrix Potter spent ten summer holidays at Lingholm between 1885 and 1907, and its walled garden stands on the site of the old kitchen gardens she credited as the inspiration for Mr McGregor’s garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The Lingholm Kitchen cafe looks down on that octagonal garden and up to Skiddaw.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Keswick’s rooftop camera is just across the River Derwent, and two more cameras watch lakes with a marina or a mountain backdrop.

• Keswick Webcam
• Sutter’s Marina Webcam
• Lake Louise Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Lake District Webcam?

It is at Derwent Water Marina in Portinscale, near the western shore of Derwentwater, in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, north-west England. Keswick is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) away, across the River Derwent.

What can you see on the Lake District Webcam?

The main camera looks over the marina’s boat yard, the pool beside its slipway and the car park, out to yachts on their moorings, the open water of Derwentwater, and the wooded shore and fells across the lake. The second tab shows the south face of Skiddaw across open fields.

Can you see Skiddaw on this webcam?

Yes, on the second tab. That camera, run by KCS and keswick.net, faces the south side of Skiddaw, which rises to 931 meters (3,054 feet) just north of Keswick. The marina camera looks out over the lake instead, so the mountain does not appear on the main view.

Is this a Lake Windermere webcam?

No. This camera is on Derwentwater, in the northern Lake District beside Keswick. Windermere is a different lake, further south in the national park, and does not appear on either view.

What is the weather like at Derwentwater?

Mild and wet. Keswick averages 7.4°C (45°F) by day in January and 19.8°C (68°F) in July, with about 1,575 millimeters (62 inches) of rain a year. Low cloud over the fells is common, so the camera is a quick way to check whether the tops are clear before heading out.

How far is Derwent Water Marina from Keswick?

Portinscale is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from Keswick. The village lies west of the town on the other side of the River Derwent, and Keswick itself stands at the northern end of the lake.

Can you hire kayaks or boats at Derwent Water Marina?

Yes. The marina hires kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, pedalos and rowing boats, and runs sailing and paddle sports tuition. It does not hire motor boats, and suggests the Keswick Launch Company for those. Free parking is available on site for the length of a hire.

Source: Derwent Water Marina and Stay By The Lake, Skiddaw camera by KCS and keswick.net