Keswick Mountain Festival: the hike challenges
Every May, Keswick fills up for a weekend of running, swimming, riding and walking on the shore of Derwentwater. The bit I keep coming back for is the hikes. Here's what the 2, 3 and 8 Peaks challenges actually involve.
Keswick Mountain Festival (KMF) is a weekend event based in a Festival Village at Crow Park, right on the Keswick lake shore. There's live music, talks, food and a whole timetable of sport — but the part this page is about is the three guided hike challenges: the 2 Peaks, the 3 Peaks and the 8 Peaks.
These are paid challenge events, not free public walks. You enter in advance, you get a number, there's a start line, cut-off times, a feed station on the longer route and a finish line with a t-shirt at the end. Entry includes festival access in the evening. They're self-guided — you follow a GPX and some arrows at key junctions — but Lakeland Mountain Guides are out on the hill if you need them.
The three hikes at a glance
| Challenge | Distance | Ascent | Time | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Peaks | 12 miles | ~800m | ~6 hrs | Entry level — all abilities. Boat across to Lodore, over Walla Crag and Latrigg back to town. |
| 3 Peaks | Mid-distance | — | ~8 hrs | A step up from the 2 Peaks; finish within 8 hours. |
| 8 Peaks | 18 miles | ~1,350m | 7–11 hrs | Experienced hikers, good fitness. The big horseshoe around Derwentwater and Borrowdale. |
Distances, ascent and exact dates change year to year — these are from the 2025 event. Always check the current figures when you enter.
The 8 Peaks — the headline challenge
The 8 Peaks is the one most people mean when they talk about "the KMF hike." Eight Lakeland summits in a single day, a high horseshoe right around Derwentwater and the Borrowdale valley: Catbells, Maiden Moor, High Spy, Castle Crag, High Tove, High Seat, Bleaberry Fell and Walla Crag. Eighteen miles, about 1,350m of climbing, an early start and a cut-off at Castle Crag to keep you honest.
I walked it in May 2025. The front half over the Catbells ridge is the glamour; the back half over the eastern moors is where it's actually won or lost. I've written the whole thing up honestly — the timings, the cut-off, the boggy middle, and the GPX from my watch on the day.
Read the full Keswick 8 Peaks account, with GPX →
Getting there and staying
Keswick sits just off the A66, about 17 miles from the M6 at Penrith (Junction 40). There's no train to Keswick itself — the nearest station is Penrith, then a bus or taxi across. On festival weekend, official event parking is at Keswick Rugby Club and the town car parks fill early, so if you can stay within walking distance of Crow Park, do.
We do these weekends in the campervan, which suits a 6.30am start — you're already there. We've parked at the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Braithwaite, a couple of miles out with a village pub and café and a walkable route into Keswick. Keswick and Borrowdale have a good spread of campsites too, and the festival runs its own campsite for the weekend.
When is it?
KMF runs over a weekend in mid-May. Dates, entry prices and the exact hike specs are set fresh each year, so check the official site before you plan anything around it.