Welcome to the Above Derwent Community website.  The civil parish of Above Derwent comprises the villages of Braithwaite, Portinscale and Thornthwaite, the hamlet of Beck Wythop and the hamlets and scattered dwellings in the Newlands Valley.  It lies entirely within the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, and faces Skiddaw to the east.   On the west, our boundary crosses the summits of numerous fells, including Grisedale Pike, Eel Crag and Dale Head, while well-known fells that lie entirely within the parish include Causey Pike and Catbells.   It is thus an excellent centre for walking, and there are many guest houses, hotels and pubs  which are open most of the year.  

As its name suggests the parish looks down over the River Derwent which flows out of Derwent Water at its northern end, and drains the short stretch of marshy land on its way to Bassenthwaite Lake.  In the 6th Century Alfred divided the Shire into 5 wards, one of which was Allerdale above Derwent.  William the Conqueror gave Allerdale above Derwent to Ranulph de MesChiens in his feudal carve-up of the country.   The name of our parish is thus rooted in history.

In the Parish are three churches, St Mary's Thornthwaite, St Herbert's Braithwaite and the Church in Newlands which has no dedication.   There is also a Church of England Primary School in Braithwaite, a Village Shop in Braithwaite, and a shop and cafe in Portinscale.

The total population shown in the 2001 Census is 1207 in 516 households (click here for more statistics).  The main industry is tourism, but there are still several working farms in the parish.