Windermere (Lake District) : tourist information and photos

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Travel / Tours / England / Windermere

A visit to Windermere and the neighbouring area (in the Lake District)


Sections:	Introduction
	Windermere Lake Cruises
	Peter Rabbit
	Near Sawrey (Hill Top)
	Hawkshead
	Lakeside
	Ambleside
	Grasmere
	Cartmel
	Holker Hall
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This page is a brief visitor's guide to Windermere and the central/southern area of the Lake District (a beautiful National Park in north-west England). The most popular places to stay in this area are at Windermere, Bowness or Ambleside.

For information about the northern/western area of the Lake District, see: Travel/Tours/England/Keswick

Swan

Map of Lake Windermere

Sailing

WINDERMERE LAKE CRUISES

Windermere Lake Cruises offers frequent boat services on Windermere. The main places to board a boat is at Bowness (a short walk or bus ride from Windermere). Cruise boats travel to/from Waterhead (near Ambleside, to the north of the lake) or Lakeside (to the south of the lake).

One of the Windermere Lake Cruises boats

Enjoying a cruise on the lake

PETER RABBIT

The Lake District is where the writer Beatrix Potter lived. She wrote and illustrated a series of children's stories, the most famous of which is "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", published in 1902. There is a World of Peter Rabbit exhibition in Bowness, as well as a shop dedicated to Peter Rabbit books and products.

Beatrix Potter

World of Beatrix Potter

Peter Rabbit & his mother

Mrs Tiggy-Winkle

Jemima Puddle-Duck

The World of Peter Rabbit
Author: Beatrix Potter
Publisher: Frederick Warne
Date: March 2002

Beatrix Potter Complete Tales
Author: Beatrix Potter
Publisher: Frederick Warne
Date: September 2002

NEAR SAWREY (HILL TOP)

If you are interested in Beatrix Potter, you may like to visit the house where she lived. The name of the house is Hill Top, and this is in a small village on the west side of the lake called Near Sawrey. To get there from Bowness, take the Cross Lakes shuttle boat to Ferry Landing and then a connecting bus service up to the village. Hill Top is managed by the National Trust. If you have time you can enjoy a pleasant walk back to the ferry.

Cross Lakes shuttle boat (from Bowness to Ferry Landing)

Hill Top (Beatrix Potter's former home)

HAWKSHEAD

There is a collection of Beatrix Potter's sketches and watercolours in the Beatrix Potter at Hawkshead (a village not far from Hill Top). This is managed by the National Trust.

Beatrix Potter Gallery

TARN HOWS

Tarn Hows is near Conniston, a little further west than Hawkshead.

LAKESIDE

You can take a boats from Bowness to Lakeside, on the south end of the lake. One of the main attractions here is a steam train service (the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Steam Railway)

Lakeside

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

AMBLESIDE

At the north of Windermere is the town of Ambleside. This is a popular base for walkers: there are many outdoor equipment shops here. A short walk from the town (at Waterhead) is a youth hostel located beside the lake: a shuttle bus runs from here to the train station at Windermere (connecting with the main train services).

Bridge House

Ambleside youth hostel

View at sunset

GRASMERE

Gingerbread shop

Grasmere gingerbread

Dove Cottage

William Wordsworth's grave

CARTMEL

Cartmel Village Shop

Sticky toffee pudding

HOLKER HALL

Holker Hall

Great Lime Tree

FURTHER INFORMATION

* Booking a tour
Millennium Lake District Tours (1-day / half-day trips - Japanese recorded commentary available): http://www.lakedistricttours.com/uk
Mountain Goat Tours (1-day / half-day trips from Windermere): http://www.mountain-goat.com

* Visitor information
Cumbria Tourist Board official website: http://www.golakes.co.uk
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction (Bowness): http://www.hop-skip-jump.com
Windermere Lake Cruises (Bowness/Waterhead/Lakeside): http://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk
Hill Top (Near Sawrey): http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-hilltop
Beatrix Potter Gallery (Hawkshead): http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-beatrixpottergallery.htm
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Steam Railway (Lakeside): http://www.lakesiderailway.co.uk
Ambleside: http://www.amblesideonline.co.uk
Grasmere Gingerbread: http://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk
Dove Cottage / The Wordsworth Trust: http://www.wordsworth.org.uk
Cartmel Village Shop (sticky toffee pudding): http://www.stickytoffeepudding.co.uk
Holker Hall: http://www.holker-hall.co.uk

* Transportation
- Travel to Windermere by train: Shop/Company/TheTrainline (from London start at Euston and change at Oxenholme; journey time is about 4 hours)
- Travel to Windermere by coach: Shop/Company/NationalExpress (from London start at Victoria Coach Station; journey time is about 8 hours)
(the coach serves Ambleside and Grasmere as well as Windermere)

* Weather forecast for Windermere
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2453 (note that the weather here is difficult to predict and can change quickly)

* More photos
360 degree panoramic pictures of Cumbria: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/in_pictures/360_panoramas/index.shtml

Lonely Planet verdict: The Lake District "Diversely beautiful, the Lake District mixes soft green dales, cobbled towns, stark mountains and mirror-surfaced lakes. An incredible variety of breathtaking scenery is crammed into a small area ... Unfortunately, many others have spotted its attractions, and there are an estimated 14 million annual visitors ... Avoid the most touristed areas from mid-July to August and on bank holiday weekends if you can. May, June, September and October are good times to visit, and the westernmost lakes are never so busy" (extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used with permission)
	Lonely Planet Great Britain Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: May 2009	Lonely Planet England Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: March 2009
Other Lonely Planet publications

LINKS

Miss Potter (film about Beatrix Potter): Britain/Films/MissPotter
Keswick (northern/western Lake District): Travel/Tours/England/Keswick
Carlisle: Travel/Tours/England/Carlisle

British literature: English/Reading/Literature
Peak District National Park: Travel/Tours/England/PeakDistrict

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