iKnow Lake District
- Ambleside
- Near Ambleside
- Bowness on Windermere
- Windermere
- Coniston
- Grasmere
- Hawkshead
- West Lake District
Windermere Accommodation
Boat trips on Lake Windermere from one of it's many launchesLake Windermere, Brockhole Visitors Centre Boat Trips
Pop into the fabulous Brockhole Visitor Centre, half way between Ambleside and Windermere, just off A591. The centre includes numerous exhibitions, shops, a children's adventure playground, which is superb, and all surrounded by 30 acres of beautiful gardens.
You can book your boat trip here at Brockhole and walk down to Windermere to catch it. It's the perfect place for more gentle walking, and if you have kids with you and pushchairs you'll appreciate the well marked paths, and lots of interactive activities for them. It's the perfect venue for families.
Windermere Lake Cruises
There are various cruise options, generally split into three with the yellow circular cruise running from Lakeside to Bowness and back, the blue cruise running around Long Island in the centre, and the red cruise departing from Bowness to Ambleside and back. There's opportunities to hop on and off, plus small runs from Ambleside to Brockhole Visitor Centre.
The history pages on Windermere Lake Cruises' website make fascinating reading, charting the history of boating activity back to the early 19th century. Early activity carried passengers and goods from Ambleside to Bowness, to Newby Bridge rather haphazardly it appears.
Old Wordsworth perks up again in 1845, determined to keep the Lakes for his own private garden, and up in arms against the first steamer launch of 'The Lady of the Lake'. He failed on that one and Lady, which carried 200 passengers including usually the Kendal Cavalry Band!, was launched amidst great pomp and ceremony from Newby Bridge.
The Lady of the Lake was soon outstripped by other steamers such as Dragonfly. Read more on their website on how the Furness Railway Company interacted with Windermere cruising from 1865 and into the present day with continuing passenger cruising offered on a selection of vessels including Tern, built in 1891 which takes 350 passengers.
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