Keswick Railway Path

The Keswick Railway Path is a short but spectacular section of the C2C (Coast to Coast) Route, being Route 71 of the National Cycle Network. It follows the rocky gorge which contains the River Greta, crossing it no less than 8 times in the four miles of the path.

The lakeland town of Keswick makes an ideal overnight stop for cyclists tackling the entire length of the C2C route, and this section starts at the local leisure pool at the bottom of Station Street.

 We turn right at the entrance to the pool

 ...................... and find the path at the rear of the building

 ........and the old station buildings a short distance away.  Opposite is a handy car park.

 Soon we make our first crossing of the River Greta on this wooden structure which is supported by the steel girders of the original railway bridge.

                                           There are several road bridges crossing the path,

                                              And the inevitable Sustrans milepost

 Here we go onto the wooden walkway which clings precariously to the rocky face of the gorge.

                     The River Greta tumbles over the rocky bed.

                                            Tunnel and bridge in close proximity.

                                                            At last- the final bridge.

            A steep ramp up to the A66 trunk road which has a cycle path to the left...................

                 ..........leading to the village of Threlkeld .....

                                      ...............which is overshadowed by the mass of Blencathra

The village has two pubs and a coffee shop.  Cyclists here heading for the Horse and Farrier Inn.

    And this is the Threlkeld Coffee Shop adjacent to the Village Hall.

The catastrophic flooding caused by storm Desmond in December 2015 did terrible damage to this section of the Coast to Coast Route, washing away many of the bridges and the route has since been completely changed.