Discover Windermere through its lake, lakeside paths and regional history. Windermere is England’s largest natural lake and is 17 kilometres long. On the western shore, wooded banks and pebble beaches shape the landscape. Walking trails, boat connections and activities on the water offer different ways to explore, depending on whether you want to focus on views, exercise or culture.
Walking Trails with Views
The circular trail up Orrest Head is 3.5 kilometres long and passes through Elleray Wood. The hill reaches 238 metres in height; from the top, there are 360-degree views across Windermere and the Central Fells. A step-free route at Orrest Head is also marked with blue waymarkers.
A linear path runs along the western shore for 4.5 kilometres each way. From there, views stretch across the lake to Bowness and farther north to the Troutbeck Hills. There are places to rest and picnic along the way. Compared with the circular trail at Orrest Head, the route type is an important difference here: the path along the western shore is linear, and its distance is given for each direction.
Ferry, Boat Connections and Water Sports
Windermere Lake Cruises connects Ambleside, Bowness, Brockhole, Lakeside and the Windermere Jetty Museum. The Walkers Ticket combines a round trip by boat with a walk. Self-drive electric boats and rowing boats can also be hired at Bowness Beach, Bowness Dock, Waterhead and Lakeside piers. If you plan to cross on foot, by bicycle or by vehicle, you can take the Windermere Ferry between Ferry Nab in Bowness and Far Sawrey; the crossing takes about ten minutes each way.
Windermere Outdoor Adventure Centre offers kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, raft building and sailing, as well as equipment hire and lessons. Fell Foot also offers paddling, canoeing and boat hire on Windermere. For day-trip planning, it is worth checking the latest timetables for the boat services and ferry.
Nature and Trails at Fell Foot and Brockhole
The grounds and meadows at Fell Foot offer the chance to spot otters, warblers and geese. A circular trail exploring the site’s cultural and natural history is 0.8 kilometres long. The Boathouse Café at Fell Foot serves drinks, freshly prepared hot and cold meals, snacks, cakes and pastries.
Nearby, a short circular trail runs through the grounds of Brockhole along the shores of Windermere. The gardens there spread across terraces, from a formal planting area to flower beds and meadows, then woodland and the lakeshore. Also nearby, Wray Estate has waymarked trails through parkland by Windermere and access to a pebble beach. A 45-minute guided tour explores the estate’s history, including a Gothic Revival boathouse and a miniature harbour.
Lake History and Culture
The Windermere Jetty Museum, nearby, displays a collection of steam boats connected to the history of the Lake District World Heritage Site. The lake itself was once a transport route for stone, minerals, charcoal and woollen cloth. This gives today’s boat services a historical context, even though not all activities on the water serve the same purpose.
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction opened on 28 July 1991. It brings Beatrix Potter’s stories to life in a recreation of the Lake District landscape; the garden also draws on plants and scenes to evoke this world. The entrances from Crag Brow and Rayrigg Road each lead up a ramp. The Peter Rabbit Café serves brunch, lunch and afternoon tea daily from 10:30 to 16:00.
Discover more destinations: Brigham, Lupton, Winton, Lowick, Kirkby Lonsdale, Millom, Bowness-On-Windermere, Pooley Bridge.
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