Surprise View Reviews Summary

View and Landscape

Pros:

• "Indeed surprise! Can't believe it is actually called SURPRISE VIEW! breathtakingly beautiful view of landscape with everything you need to make picture perfect landscape!"
• "Stunningly beautiful. Early evening lovely and quiet. Most beautiful spot, amazing views."
• "Lovely walk and absolutely beautiful views when you get to the top."
• "View from up here is breathtaking. We just stood there for a quite a long time looking in awe at how beautiful it was."
• "Stunning view and only 10 mins from Keswick. You'd be daft to miss stopping by for a look."
• "One of, if not THE best views of the lake district you can get without hiking. Simply stunning."
• "This is one of the most breath taking views of the Lake District."

Cons:

• "Seen this view on Tiktok, so not much of a surprise anymore, but still an amazing view!"
• "Sadly, this amazing quiet and contemplative experience was compromised by a chav and his family of chavs operating a Drone device when I was there in 2015."
• "Very steep with no fencing which makes it unsafe. Parents of young children need to be very careful when visiting."
• "Be aware however that it is a straight drop with no safety fencing so please stay safe and enjoy the views."
• "People needs to be little bit cautious while taking pics because there are no railings and it is almost an edge of a mountain."
• "There are no fences so you have to be very careful with the children around there."
• "Very much a surprise view, amazing! just be very careful as its a sheer drop with no warning other than a very small sign the further back and no fence."

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "We parked just a minute from the view and it was easily accessible."
• "The view is amazing and parking is a 30 second walk from the view point."
• "Enough parking in place."
• "There are plenty of car parks from the bottom all the way to the top."
• "You can drive all the way to the top if you want."
• "Free parking for National Trust members, and good value for money if you need to pay."
• "There is a free car park at the bottom of the road if you don't mind hiking up the hill, otherwise there is a National trust car park directly opposite."

Cons:

• "Parking is quite expensive but possible to find a free spot and walk for a bit."
• "There is a car parking fee though."
• "The road all the way there is to narrow in some places, but is manageable. The view is absolutely beautiful, the parking is expensive so plan your journey."
• "Car park charges are high."
• "Amazing view only marked by the gouging parking prices, plus you can't pay by phone or card so be sure to be carrying coins."
• "The only drawback is you have to pay for the parking for just a few minutes watching the view which is really ridiculous."
• "Parking starts at £1 for half an hour, car park is a little small and the place can be busy during peak days."

Drive and Road Conditions

Pros:

• "The road up is quite steep and narrow but it did only take us 5 mins and was well worth the drive up!"
• "The drive up is up a windy road and small bridge so take care."
• "Road is narrow but plenty of spaces let others pass by. Vehicles larger than a mini SUV will find it slightly difficult to cross a small bridge along the way."
• "The panoramic views of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite lakes were simply outstanding!"
• "Pick the right weather and the views are exceptional. The walks through the woods are enchanting with pathways over easy terrain."
• "On the way up there are nice spots like a bridge and river to take some pictures there also."
• "A small climb from the pier. Up past Ashness Bridge, into this amazing spot."

Cons:

• "Don't think that this view should have a park&display just because u spend there 1-2 minutes to have a look at the view."
• "The road up to the view point is extremely narrow and tight for cars and takes some experience to manoeuvre."
• "Scary drive up there as the road is really steep and narrow."
• "Just please be careful driving up and down, very narrow road and not as many passing spaces."
• "Spectacular view of Derwent Water, but the drive up is a bit scary as it’s so narrow, and ultimately a dead end."
• "It's a very narrow road which leads to couple of car parks."
• "Not a drive for the faint hearted or big cars, as it is most definitely a single track road with passing places."

Additional Facilities

Pros:

• "There's a nice cafe and walk up into the hills."
• "It was a lovely place, fantastic views."
• "Great place to linger and admire the view of the Derwentwater lake and surrounding mountains."
• "Amazingly beautiful place, Keswick is adorable with a great range of shops and pubs etc. Would definitely head back there to explore a little more of the area."
• "Hotel with good food. Perfectly placed if you are walking around the lake."
• "Brilliant boat trip around Derwent Water. Particularly liked the opportunity to stop off at various points for walks, pub visits etc, knowing that the boat pick-up would be guaranteed at regular intervals."
• "A lovely place to go up and view derwent water."

Cons:

• "I just wished there was toilets nearby so we can stay a little bit longer or even have a little picnic with the view."
• "There are no other facilities available here except a small parking lot."
• "There are no toilet access however there are some free public toilets at the end of the road."
• "I was told to come here on a recommendation. The food good but nothing I was blown away by. Waitress was terrible."
• "I would not queue for a long time for this when there are plenty of other places where there would be no queue."
• "Do NOT go up with a motorhome!"
• "I couldn’t have asked for a better place for my car to break down. Well actually it was a terrible place for my car to break down."