Keswick

The pencil factory smoke still drifts across Derwentwater on misty mornings, though Cumberland Pencil's old works have long since become tourist fodder. This is proper fell country - the sort of place where walking boots outnumber stilettos about fifty to one and the fells rise so dramatically from the lake shore you feel slightly dizzy looking up at them.

Skiddaw dominates everything here, its bulk looming over the slate-roofed town centre like a benevolent giant. The summit walk's a proper challenge, though Skiddaw Little Man offers similar views with less huffing and puffing. On clear days from either peak, the Lake District spreads out like a crumpled map - every ridge and tarn visible for miles.

Friar's Crag remains the classic Keswick viewpoint, jutting into Derwentwater with the Ruskin Monument marking the spot where the great critic first fell for this landscape. It's a short stroll from town but feels utterly remote when the mist rolls in. Castle Crag provides the valley's other dramatic flourish - a craggy sentinel guarding Borrowdale's entrance.

Keswick sits at the northern end of Derwentwater, about 15 minutes' drive from the M6 via Penrith. The town centre runs on outdoor gear shops and cafés, with the Theatre by the Lake providing evening entertainment when your legs have had enough. Lake District Wine offers something different - local viticulture that actually works in this climate.

Staying at one of the nearby parks like Castlerigg Hall puts you right in the action. You can walk into town for supplies, paddle on the lake, then retreat to your pitch with Skiddaw filling the evening sky. The surrounding woods - Brows Wood, Ladstock Wood, Hospital Plantation - provide gentle walks when the high fells feel too ambitious.