Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Hundreds of birds including the magnificent osprey migrate from Africa to the Arctic to Bassenthwaite Lake NNR – the only actual ‘lake’ in the Lake District. More than 70 different kinds of birds breed around the lake in summer. The woodland fringes are home to redstarts, willow warblers and redpolls. Common sandpipers, locally known as ‘willy wickets’, arrive from Africa in April. Oystercatchers come inland to breed on the open stony shores before returning to the coast. You also might be lucky to see the ‘floating’ nest of the great crested grebe, or a red-breasted merganser nesting under a bush or fallen tree. Ospreys hadn’t nested in England since the 1830s until 2001, when the Lake District Osprey Partnership built a nest platform above the lake to encourage them back. You can see the osprey nest from a safe distance at the Dodd Wood open-air nest viewpoint, three miles north of Keswick off the A591. Fish such as Atlantic salmon and sea lampreys also come to spawn in the lake and its tributaries.

Location

Bassenthwaite

About the area

Cumbria's rugged yet beautiful landscape is best known for the Lake District National Park that sits within its boundaries. It’s famous for Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, and Derwent Water, ‘Queen of the English Lakes', but other lesser-known areas in the south, such as the Lune Valley and the coastal towns, are secret gems of wide cobbled streets and rolling hills.

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Bassenthwaite Cumbria Things To Do in Cumbria

Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve

Bassenthwaite

017687 79633

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Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

Hundreds of birds including the magnificent osprey migrate from Africa to the Arctic to Bassenthwaite Lake NNR – the only actual ‘lake’ in the Lake District. More than 70 different kinds of birds breed around the lake in summer. The woodland fringes are home to redstarts, willow warblers and redpolls. Common sandpipers, locally known as ‘willy wickets’, arrive from Africa in April. Oystercatchers come inland to breed on the open stony shores before returning to the coast. You also might be lucky to see the ‘floating’ nest of the great crested grebe, or a red-breasted merganser nesting under a bush or fallen tree. Ospreys hadn’t nested in England since the 1830s until 2001, when the Lake District Osprey Partnership built a nest platform above the lake to encourage them back. You can see the osprey nest from a safe distance at the Dodd Wood open-air nest viewpoint, three miles north of Keswick off the A591. Fish such as Atlantic salmon and sea lampreys also come to spawn in the lake and its tributaries.

Location

Bassenthwaite

About the area

Area image

Cumbria's rugged yet beautiful landscape is best known for the Lake District National Park that sits within its boundaries. It’s famous for Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, and Derwent Water, ‘Queen of the English Lakes', but other lesser-known areas in the south, such as the Lune Valley and the coastal towns, are secret gems of wide cobbled streets and rolling hills.

Explore Cumbria

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Bassenthwaite Cumbria Things To Do in Cumbria