Swinside Inn Circa 2002-2013 Content


For a number of years and at least 2 website re-designs this was the official website for the Swinside Inn located in the Lake District of Keswick, Cumbria.
Content is from the site's 2002 - 2013 archived pages.

If you have inadvertently ended up here while looking for information about the Swinside Inn go to their current website at: http://swinsideinn.co.uk/.

The Swinside Inn
Newlands Valley
Keswick, Cumbria,
CA12 5UE.
Tel 017687 78253

 

A few thoughts on the new website for the Swinside Inn.
Since I consult for businesses who want a presence on the WWW, I take an interest in the platforms and design choices e-commerce sites make to present themselves. I have used a site to compare ecommerce platforms. This site allows interested visitors to use their assembled updated information, and reviews about the most popular e-commerce platforms, while sharing tips, comparing new software and tools, discussing ecommerce features a business should consider, and sharing tips and solutions. The site has become a great resource for e-commerce businesses.

When I look at the current website for the Swinside Inn, not this one, I was surprised that they used an Avada website builder on their WordPress site that left the logo and name AVADA on the home page. It is the first thing a visitor sees and is just confusing to say the least. One would expect Swinside Inn to be the h1 on the page. After all this site is about the Swinside Inn, not Avada. I also noticed that they used the Yoast SEO plugin which is suppose to improve a website's rankings on search engines, by helping optimize the site's content and keywords. But there is not much content to help optimize the site. It's almost as if a webmaster selected WordPress added the plug ins, added some images and copy, took the site live, but never looked at it. I think I should take a screen shot of the home page and send it to the inn with a note. I will check back later to their current site to see if they remove the word, Avada with its logo and put the Swinside Inn at the top of the page. Perhaps I will send them a link to the eCommerce Platforms as well.

Meanwhile, if you are visiting The Newlands Valley, just outside of Keswick, in the England’s Lake District, wander into the Swinside Inn for a pint and some home cooked grub!

 



Swinside Inn

Set in the scenic Newlands Valley, near Keswick in the Lake District, the Swinside Inn is surrounded by many stunning views of England's highest mountains.

The Swinside Inn dates back to the early 17th Century, giving it its character and charm. We take great care to ensure your stay is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible within a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The Swinside is the perfect setting for a leisurely Lakeland holiday. Newlands is only 3 miles from the market town of Keswick, which is a good central location for visiting many picturesque towns and villages. Penrith, Hadrians Wall and historic

Carlisle are all within easy travelling distance for a day out. Alternatively, you could travel further South and visit other Lakeland towns such as Ambleside, Windermere and Hawkshead.

Welcome to The Swinside Inn and Refuge Bar

The Swinside Inn is a traditional Lake District Inn and Bed & Breakfast, offering great food, comfy accommodation and panoramic views of the entire Newlands Valley and it’s encompassing peaks.

Located in the heart of the English Lake District, within an enchanting hamlet which sits in the entrance to the Newlands Valley, makes The Swinside Inn the perfect base for a Lake District walking holiday.

The Swinside Inn dates back to the early 17th Century, giving it its character and charm. We take great care to ensure your stay is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible within a warm and friendly atmosphere. This 300 plus year old Inn always has a very warm cosy welcoming atmosphere whatever the weather, in winter with it’s two open log fires make it especially snug. In summer the south facing beer garden enjoys sun all day until the sunsets over the hills.

The Swinside is the perfect setting for a leisurely Lakeland holiday. Newlands is only 3 miles from the market town of Keswick, which is a good central location for visiting many picturesque towns and villages. Penrith, Hadrians Wall and historic

Carlisle are all within easy travelling distance for a day out. Alternatively, you could travel further South and visit other Lakeland towns such as Ambleside, Windermere and Hawkshead. A great place to chill after a long walk and look out over Barrow, Causey Pike and Catbells to name a few.

 

"I discovered this hidden gem years ago when my wife's parents treated us to week's stay. We've come back many times and have held a number of personal reunions here. I've also met many other visitors who have become friends over time, including my American fishing buddy. This is a fellow who works a very serious job for a medical waste disposal outfit where stress seems to be part of the occupation. Being responsible for the elimination of hazardous waste is not something I can understand, but I do empathize with having a stressful occupation. He comes here to unwind and take in the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside, leaving behind the pressures and responsibilities he takes on to excel in his profession. We're both fly fishermen and we use this great accommodation as a base for our forays into the world of trout and mayflies. Highly recommended for anyone who loves England's Lake District, and who does not?" Phil Potter

 

How to Get to The Swinside

 

Directions

From Junction 40 on the M6 take the A66, heading towards Keswick, after passing Keswick you turn Left into Portinscale Village, signposted Newlands Valley & Buttermere.
Follow signs for about 2 miles, bear right at sign for Stair. Swinside Inn is on the right about 200 metres past the junction.

 

History of The Swinside Inn

This 300 plus year old Inn always has a very warm cosy welcoming atmosphere whatever the weather, in winter with it’s two open log fires its especially snug. In summer the south facing beer garden enjoys Sun all day until the sunsets over the Barf.

Most Cumbrian place names derive from either the Norse or Celtic languages, Newlands however, is an exception. Many centuries ago the valley floor that you see now was beneath a shallow lake. This lake was drained to make new fertile agricultural land giving the valley it’s name “New Lands”.

Although it’s hard to believe industry and commerce are no stranger to the valley. The peaks that flank the valley provided some of the richest Lead and Silver deposits so crucial to funding the development of the Royal Navy during Elizabethan times, and thus the foundations of the British Empire. Although long exhausted there are often clues to be found whilst enjoying the many walks around this stunningly beautiful and peaceful valley

 

Food & Drink

The Swinside offers great food in a classic pub environment with open log burning fires. Our menus change with the season and depend on availability of the freshest produce.


Served Daily:
Morning Coffee
Lunches (12 noon - 2pm)
Afternoon Teas
Evening Meals (6pm - 9pm)

 



Newlands Valley Accommodation

Bed and Full English Breakfast



All our rooms are tastefully decorated and have the following facilities.

  • Tea & Coffee making
  • TV
  • DVD
  • Hairdryer
  • En-suite bathrooms
  • Toiletries
  • FREE WiF

We have 6 letting bedrooms at The Swinside Inn Bed and Breakfast, all our rooms have had a complete renovation in August 2011.

All rooms are centrally heated and provide a relaxing and restful environment to recover from your days adventures. There are 2 Family, 4 Double / Twin rooms.

Our rooms are designed to offer the greatest level of flexibility to our guests in their sleeping arrangements. For example the family rooms can accommodate couples, families or groups of 2, 3 or 4 individuals respectively.

Each room has FREE WiFi access, an en-suite bathroom, TV/DVD, Hairdryer, Coffee and Tea making facilities.

How to Book
To make a reservation or for more information please call: +00 44 (017687) 78253 or check availability and book Online via our booking system.

 



 

Refuge Bar

Hiking themed bar at The Swinside Inn

The Refuge is a bar geared towards the thirsty climbing community (and everyone else too!) with a wide selection of real ales, lagers, spirits & liqueurs..this fun themed bar is a great place to relax after a long day walking the Lake District fells.

This fun themed bar is a great place to relax. It has a warm, friendly, cosy atmosphere with a real log burner - a great place to drink and chat with friends.
Pool table, T.V (with Sky Sports) and games to entertain you.



 

Lake District Walks

The Swinside Inn is the ideal base

Fell walking is the most popular activity in the Lake District and The Swinside Inn is the ideal base for a walking holiday in the Lake District! We offer hearty home-made food, comfortable accommodation and a full English breakfast.

If you are not a experienced fell walker then the smartest, safest and most pleasurable way to tackle the fells is by joining a local guide. Reach the highest summits or explore hidden valleys, waterfalls and woodlands on low level walks - there's something for all ages and abilities. If you are considering walking please check out the latest 5-day weather forecast for the Lake District. The Swinside Inn doesn't offer guided walks though there are plenty of local organised guides that do provide safe Lake District walks. Here are just a few places that can be reached from the Swinside Inn:

Cat Bells

There is good reason why this fell is probably the most popular walk in the Lake District. Sitting near the summit for a well earned break the view to the North provides a panorama of Newlands, the wooded fell and hamlet of Swinside and the Inn, tantalizingly close, raising such quotes as ‘I can see the Pub from ‘ere’. The panorama continues with Skidaw, Derwent Water, Keswick, Blencathra (Saddleback) even round to the East, The Helvelyn ridge and the higher peaks of the Langdales.

Wainwright wrote of this famous Fell:

It is one of the great favorites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved, its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble.

Hindscarth

The middle of the 3 peaks bounding the southern end of the Newlands valley, it’s picturesque outline stands proud in the panoramic view from the Swinside Inn, from where you can see the path that descends from the summit down over May Crags, highlighted in the last of the light on a summers evening.

These crags once contained some of the richest deposits of minerals, however all that is left is a man made fissure that bisects the ridgeline.

Dale Head

Its summit is marked by an iconic cairn, despite its exposed location this cairn has stood for many years withstanding the worst weather that the Lake District winters can throw at it. This is a testament to both the dry stone walling techniques refined throughout Cumbria’s many walls and the natural strength of the local stone, the blue slate, which was originally plucked off the escarpments and now mined below at the summit of Honister.Looking past the cairn to the north into the deep valley is one of the Lakelands truly spectacular views giving an unsurpassed panorama of the whole of the Newlands Horseshoe.

Barrow

Nestling within the bounds of the Grizdale horseshoe, Barrow sits proudly on the eastern side of the valley, it’s history has been important to the expansion of the British Empire during Elizabethan times. The rich lead and silver deposits extracted from here assisted in the funding of the Royal Navy, allowing us to defend the British shores against the Spanish Armada.

One of the most pleasant approaches to the summit of Barrow is via Stoneycroft Ghyll following the ancient mining track towards Outerside then turning east along the easy path to the summit. Barrow provides dramatic views of the Newlands valley, the Vale of Derwent, Bassenthwaithe Lake, Derwent Water, Catbells and in good conditions even the distant spine of the North Pennines.

Causey Pike

The Western side of the valley is dominated by the rugged and gnarly summit called Causey Pike, although the hardest peak to walk from the Newlands valley due to the final summit scramble it can still be achieved by most competent walkers.

Once completed walkers can enjoy the vantage point with a packed lunch enjoying the solitude looking down on the Newlands Valley and the busier more accessible peaks such as Catbells and Maiden moor.

To the south of the summit there is a rare glimpse of the ancient woodland that once blanketed the whole of the Cumbrian fells. Following the deforestation during the 17thcentury this small unique habitat is almost all that remains.

Robinson

For most walkers this is the final peak on the Newlands horseshoe and therefore the quietest. Its wide open summit on a day when the clouds are scraping the tops provide solace and calm, when the clouds lift the unsurpassed views open out over Buttermere, Crummock, Loweswater and the Scottish peak of Criffle beyond the Solway. To the north you have Skidaw, Blencathra and Keswick.

 



 

Things To Do Near The Swinside Inn

There are lots of things to do in the Lake District near The Swinside Inn. The near-by market town of Keswick which has many tourist attractions and shops, restaurants, pubs and cafés. The Tourist Information Centre in the market square offers help, advice and more ideas.

 

 
Whinlatter Mountain Biking
Whinlatter puts the mountain back into biking, making full use of its landscape to offer some fantastic trails. The red graded Altura trail was opened in 2009 and is already a classic.

www.visitlakelandforests.co.uk
 
Shearwater Adventure

Offer a full range of outdoor related courses and adventure experiences in mountain and water sports. Our aim is to give each of our clients a personal, high quality, safe and enjoyable adventure experience.

www.shearwateradventure.co.uk

 
Lake District Osprey Project
In 2001 a pair of ospreys, which nested beside Basssenthwaite Lake, became the first wild osprey to breed in the Lake District for over 150 years. The birds return every summer to the area.

www.ospreywatch.co.uk
 
Go Ape - Whinlatter
Swing through the trees, climb cargo nets, and tackle obstacles high up in the trees, with a forest adventure at Whinlatter Forest.

www.goape.co.uk
 
Theatre by the Lake
One of the most beautifully located theatres in all of England, just a few hundred yards from Derwentwater. A year-round professional drama production, it provides a variety of entertainment to suit all tastes.

www.theatrebythelake.co.uk
 
Keswick Museum & Art Gallery
A local Victorian Museum revealing Keswick's surprising past, including its many 'firsts' and its famous residents. The 1897 purpose built museum is set in beautiful Fitz Park and has retained its original Victorian feel.

www.keswickmuseum.webs.com
 
Alhambra Cinema
The cinema offers 1st class entertainment in traditional surroundings. The cinema prides itself on its tasteful decor, comfortable environment & impeccable customer service.

www.keswick-alhambra.co.uk/
 
Honister Slate Mine
Why not go deep underground when the weather isn't at its best, and enjoy a tour with a difference at Honister Slate Mine. The braver souls should try the Via Ferrata.

www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk
 
Keswick Leisure Pool
Keswick Leisure Pool and Fitness Centre offers a unique leisure experience in Allerdale. With its warm waters, wave machine and 'black hole' flume there is fun for all the family.

www.allerdale.gov.uk
 
Keswick Boat Launch
The Keswick Boat Launch provides frequent trips around Derwentwater in both directions; stopping at Keswick, Ashness Gate, Lodore, High Brandelhow, Low Brandelhow, Hawse End and Nichol End.

www.keswick-launch.co.uk

 


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