Keswick sits on the shores of Derwentwater, often considered the most beautiful of the lakes, surrounded by dramatic fells including Skiddaw and Blencathra. The town has been a tourist centre since Victorian times, with a long tradition of pencil making celebrated in the quirky Pencil Museum. Poet Laureate Robert Southey lived here, and the town attracted Wordsworth, Coleridge, and the Romantic poets. The Theatre by the Lake offers year-round productions, while the Saturday market dates back to 1276. Excellent walking routes radiate in all directions.