Derwent Water

Derwent Water lies among the fells of the Lake District, south of the market town of Keswick. The River Derwent flows through the lake from Borrowdale, a valley of steep slopes and wooded shores. In Borrowdale, graphite known locally as wad was mined by the sixteenth century; Keswick became a centre of its trade. The dark mineral was used for marking sheep and for making moulds to cast cannonballs.