Lake Windermere

When exploring gigantic Lake Windermere, the question is where to begin? Bowness-on-Windermere is the only town in the Lake District actually on Windermere’s shores and has subsequently been a tourist hotspot since the Victorian times, with traces of this bygone era remaining tangible in the grandiose buildings that line the town, many of which have since been converted into boutique hotels. Blackwell House, meanwhile, is a Georgian relic built by Sir Edward Holt in 1900 and has become known as the ‘Arts and Crafts’ house for the beautiful artefacts from the aesthetic movement the house is resplendent in, from curious stained-glass windows to Tudor-inspired timbers to floral flourishes weaved around the plasterwork and tiled walls. The 15th-century Church of St. Martins is the town’s oldest building and perhaps its greatest architectural oddity. Although the stone and slate exterior is quintessential of the area and the stained glass, one of the finest collections of medieval glass in England, feels timeless, the inside is a chimeric hybrid of influences and eras: Middle Ages relics collide with an Arts and Crafts screen and a mosaiced, nineteenth-century altarpiece. Beatrix Potter World is another tourist favourite in the town, an immersive journey into the whimsical world of the beloved Peter Rabbit author.

Ambleside, about a mile from the lake’s shores, is another popular Lake Windermere base-camp, as is Windermere Town, home to The Terrace, a row of handsome early Victorian cottages that encircle the town railway station. Various hikes along the picturesque foothills enclosing Lake Windermere embark from each of these towns; our favourite is the ascent to Orrest Head, a modest, 238m (780 ft) tall hill with dynamic views over Windermere and the surrounding hillside woodland. It is said that it’s the view from Orrest Head that made famed author and fellwalker Alfred Wainwright fall in love with the Lakes.

Once you’ve explored the land around the lake, why not take to the water too? Windermere Lake Cruises is the most popular tourist attraction in the Lake District, transporting over one million people over Windermere every year, and offers several different cruises on several different ships. The most popular boats in its fleet are its three vintage streamliners, the oldest of which, the MV Tern, having been originally built in 1891. MV Teal, meanwhile, first took to the waters in 1936, and the MV Swan two years later in 1938. The company also boasts nine modern launches, four “traditional” launches, and a modern “steamer” named MV Swift. Cruises can take anywhere between one to three hours, travelling the full length of Lake Windermere with stops at Waterhead, Bowness, Lakeside, and Brockhole, the National Park Visitor Centre. Cruises include an over-speaker guide to the lakes and magnificent views of the Windermere’s mountainous environs, secluded bays, and its 17 wooded islands, as well as food and drinks on each ship’s fully licensed bar! Tickets can be booked in advance online through the website or at pier ticket offices.

To learn more about the history of Windermere’s steamboats, there is also the Windermere Steamboat Museum (also called the Windermere Jetty Museum), whose collections include the SL Dolly, the oldest mechanically-powered boat in the world; Margaret, the oldest surviving sailing yacht in the UK; and a collection of vintage steamboats spanning over 150 years of maritime history. For more information, visit the website here.

As well as possessing truly breathtaking natural scenery, Lake Windermere is one of the UK’s main and most historic watersports centres. Five boat clubs surround the lake, and it is also one Lake Windermere that Sir Henry Segrave broke the world water speed record in June 1930 when he reached an average speed of 158.94km/h (98.75mph). The effort, however, would end in disaster when his boat, Miss England II, capsized on his third run of the course, drowning mechanic Victor Helliwell and leaving Segrave to die of his injuries soon afterwards. Other notable events on Lake Windermere is the Great North Swim, the largest open water swim in the UK.

For those wanting to try a touch of watersports on the lake, everything from canoeing and kayaking to wakesurfing to sailing and windsurfing to paddleboarding is on offer. Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre, located right on Windermere lakeshore, is your go-to provider for activities on Windermere, offering all of the above activities and more for people of all ages and abilities. OB Sailing, meanwhile, gives guests the chance to charter a private yacht on the lake and have a variety of experiences to choose from, and Windermere Canoe Kayak ****has the largest paddlesports fleet in the northwest and offers, among other things, guided canoe and kayak tours of the lake.