Keswick Mountain Festival

Keswick Mountain Festival takes place from 12 noon Friday 16th - 5pm Sunday 18th May 2025. Many sports events start early on Saturday or Sunday morning, and there will be catering options open to accommodate these early starts. The Festival Village is free to enter for the public but most amenities will open from 12 noon on Friday and then 9am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Entertainment will go on till 10pm during Friday and Saturday evening, and till 5pm on Sunday. Venues with Keswick town will be continuing the party thereafter and look forward to your custom. 

Keswick Mountain Festival takes place at Crow Park, Keswick, Cumbria. The postcode is CA12 5DJ.

Keswick Mountain Festival Race Packs will NOT be mailed out. You must collect it from the Festival Village on Crow Park. Registration and Race pack pick up is to be confirmed for each day and we recommend you register at least one hour before your Race Start. 

A bag drop will be provided at Keswick Mountain Festival. You will be issued with a baggage label, this will need to be detached from your race number and attached to your bag.  Please do not leave single items (coats/jumpers). Pop them in a bag and label them up.

Dogs are allowed on the Festival village site and on the hike challenges (on a lead) but NOT on other sports events or near the front of any music stage where there is loud music and a high volume of people. We don’t want your dog being trodden on.

Yes, you can use headphones at Keswick Mountain Festival but please do not wear noise cancelling headphones. We would recommend the use of bone conductor headphones to keep your ears free for hearing any instructions that marshals may have, if you are using earbuds please keep your music to a low level so instructions can be heard over and above your music. 

For more terms and conditions for Kewsick Mountain Festival, visit HERE.

Keswick Mountain Festival has official parking (including accessibility options) at Keswick Rugby Club which is a short distance from the Festival site through Hope Park. You can buy these daily tickets here.

The closest parking to the Festival Site is at Lake Road Car Park which is Pay and Display.

With a timetable, and a little planning, you can reach Keswick Mountain Festival and many other beautiful Lake District places by bus. If you are a walker, you can use the bus to complete a linear walk without the necessity of having to return to where you left the car. All bus fares in Cumbria are currently capped at £2 per journey. 

Stagecoach Bus Timetables

Penrith to Workington – Service X4, X5

Runs from Penrith bus station via Penrith railway station to Keswick, and then continues to Cockermouth and Workington. It also services the villages of Threlkeld, Thornthwaite, Bassenthwaite, Embleton and the Lakes Distillery.

Lakeslink – Service 554, 555

A lovely bus journey – the 554 service runs between Keswick and Carlisle via Mirehouse, Castle Inn, Bothel and Wigton. The 555 service runs between Lancaster and Keswick via Kendal, Windermere railway station, Ambleside and Grasmere.

The Honister Rambler – Service 77, 77A

Operates in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions taking in Portinscale, Catbells, Grange, Seatoller, Honister Slate Mine, Buttermere, Lorton and Whinlatter Forest.

The Caldbeck Rambler – Service 73, 73A

A circular route from Keswick to Caldbeck via Applethwaite, Mirehouse and Dodd Wood, Bassenthwaite village, Uldale and Ireby to Caldbeck and returns to Keswick via Hesket Newmarket, Mungrisdale, Threlkeld and Castlerigg Stone Circle. Service 73A operates the same route in reverse.

The Borrowdale Rambler – Service 78

Keswick to Seatoller via Derwentwater Lakeshore, Lodore, Grange in Borrowdale and Rosthwaite.

Keswick to Patterdale Ullswater Connexion – Service 208

This service runs from Keswick to Patterdale via Aira Force and the village of Glenridding.

Penrith, Carlisle and Kendal (via Oxenholme) are served by the West Coast Main Line – a fast, frequent and easily accessible service from all over the country. The nearest railway station to Keswick is Penrith, a distance of 17 miles. A bus service (journey of approx 40 minutes) connects Penrith railway station with Keswick Bus Station. Alternatively you can pre-book a taxi from Penrith train station to Keswick. We recommend local company Davies – Tel: 017687 72676

The historic Settle to Carlisle line brings passengers from Yorkshire via the Eden Valley.

The West Coast line is operated by Virgin Trains. Check out all train times with the Trainline or National Rail. 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ 

https://www.thetrainline.com/ 

Lancaster to Keswick

Fri 16 May

Lancaster to Penrith (train) 

X4 bus to Keswick – buses every 30 mins. c40 minute journey. 

OR take the scenic route and catch the bus all the way!

555 from Lancaster to Keswick, buses every hour. 3 hour journey. 

Manchester to Keswick

Sat 17 May

Manchester Piccadilly to Penrith (train)

X4 bus to Keswick – buses every 30 mins. c40 minute journey. 

Newcastle to Keswick

Sat 17 May

Newcastle to Penrith (train via Carlisle) 

X4 bus to Keswick – buses every 30 mins. c40 minute journey. 

OR take the bus from Carlisle

Newcastle to Carlisle (train)

554 bus to Keswick – see timetable for departure times. c 1 hour 23 mins journey.

See HERE for more. 

From the M6 (traveling both North or South) take Junction 40 at Penrith for the North Lakes. From J40, follow the A66 West for approximately 17 miles to Keswick.

The AA Route Planner and RAC Route Planner are an excellent way to plan your route to Keswick.

Festival Location

• Festival site for Sat Navs is CA12 5DJ 
• Whatthreewords – the main entrance is ///presides.stops.pavilions

Lift Sharing 

• KMF encourage lift sharing where possible: https://liftshare.com/uk 

Manchester Airport and Newcastle Airport both offer convenient access to the North of the UK. Manchester serves more domestic destinations than any UK airport which, together with its first class road and rail link make it an ideal gateway to Cumbria.

Manchester Airport has its own railway station, with direct links to Oxenholme – the Lake District, Kendal, Windermere and the West Coast Main Line. Newcastle Airport also has good road links to Cumbria and the Lake District.

A selection of local taxi numbers:

Davies Taxis – 01768 772 676

Iain’s Taxis – 01768 736 333

Derwent Taxis – 01768 775 585

Keswick Cab Co – 07961 589 003

Please find the ticket terms and conditions for Keswick Mountain Festival HERE.