Bishop's Rock

In 1783, the newly appointed Bishop of Derry, now Londonderry, in Ireland was travelling to Whitehaven to take a boat to his new diocese. As evening approached, the Bishop was on the road from Keswick to Cockermouth and he decided to spend the night at the Swan Inn beside Bassenthwaite Lake. After enjoying several drinks with the locals, he took a wager that he could ride his pack pony to the top of Barf, a rocky outcrop of Lord's Seat.

The pony struggled up the dangerously steep scree slope until it reached a large rock, now known as 'The Bishops Rock’, where it stumbled and fell. Both the horse and rider were killed in the fall and were buried at the foot of the slope beside another rock known as 'The Clerk'.

The landlord of The Swan paid five shillings plus a quart of ale for the two rocks to he whitewashed, a tradition carried on to this day, although the cost is now negotiable!