At the foot of Blencathra
Threlkeld sits below Blencathra, looking across to St John’s in the Vale and Clough Head at the northern end of the Helvellyn range. It is four miles east of Keswick, just off the A66.
It is a thriving village rather than a quiet one: a church, a school, two pubs, a golf course and a cricket club, with a small playground and playing field opposite the school and a public car park just above on Blease Road. The village hall has been refurbished with a coffee shop looking out to Clough Head and the Helvellyn range.
Getting to Threlkeld
By car
Just off the A66 between Keswick and Penrith, and fifteen minutes from junction 40 of the M6. A small public car park sits above the village on Blease Road.
By bus
On the X4 and X5, which link Penrith, Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington.
Bus times and routesBy train
The nearest station is Penrith, and the X4 or X5 runs from there into the village.
On foot or by bike
The Keswick to Threlkeld railway path runs traffic-free into town, and the village is on the C2C cycle route between Workington and Sunderland.
The railway path
While you are here
In the quarry across the A66 from the village. An underground tour of a realistic mine, mineral panning, and enough for a whole family afternoon.
Plan a visitUnderground tours
Three traffic-free miles along the old railway line beside the river, over the iron bridges and through the tunnel. Reopened in December 2020, five years after Storm Desmond took it out.
Walk itTraffic-free
Rocky ridges for scramblers and easier ways up for everyone else. The small car park beyond the Blencathra Centre at the top of Blease Road gives a good leg up, with the gentler route over Blease Fell.
Walking routesFrom the village
A base for the eastern fells
Threlkeld is well placed for the Lake District and the Eden Valley both, with walking that runs from an ascent of Blencathra or Skiddaw down to easy riverside miles.
The Threlkeld Activities Association runs a programme at the village hall through the year, and keeps its own list of walks from the village.
Other villages nearby
Ireby and Caldbeck
The quiet north of Skiddaw: Ireby’s market cross, Caldbeck’s old mills and fellside walks.
Explore Ireby and Caldbeck
Mosedale and Mungrisdale
Three small places under Blencathra, including Hesket Newmarket’s co-operative pub and brewery.
Explore Mosedale and Mungrisdale
Applethwaite and Millbeck
Two hamlets below Skiddaw, with old mills, red squirrels and the classic route up the mountain.
Explore Applethwaite and Millbeck
Grange in Borrowdale
Cross the seventeenth-century bridge into Borrowdale for valley views, riverside walks and the Bowder Stone.
Explore Grange in Borrowdale
Rosthwaite
A walking base among Borrowdale’s fells, near the stepping stones, Castle Crag and Langstrath.
Explore Rosthwaite
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- Threlkeld
- Keswick
- Applethwaite
- Mungrisdale
- Portinscale