Windermere boat trips
Windermere boat trips are popular throughout the year, and there is no better way to explore this famous lake than by taking to the water.
Windermere Lake Cruises offers trips from 45 minutes to 3 hours, and you can start and finish your journey in Bowness, Ambleside or Lakeside. The scenic boat trips give travellers the chance to see England´s longest lake at its very best, and take in views of mountain scenery, hidden bays and some of the most secluded spots of Windermere, along with the islands.
You can hop on and off the boat at your leisure, and take advantage of a Freedom of the Lakes Ticket, which includes all routes. The Red Cruise takes visitors from Bowness to Ambleside, which takes 70 minutes on a non-landing cruise, or you can disembark at Ambleside or Bowness, returning on a later boat.
The Yellow Cruise goes from Bowness to Lakeside and vice versa, and includes a 90 minute non-landing cruise. You can also disembark at Bowness or Lakeside and return on a later boat. The Blue Cruise departs from Bowness, and is a 45 minute circular cruise, offering beautiful scenery, wooded shorelines and quiet, tranquil bays.
The Green Cruise will take you from Waterhead, Ambleside to Brockhole Visitor Centre aboard a traditional wooden launch. Cruising around the northern end of Windermere, this is one of the most popular trips around the famous lake, and travellers can enjoy mountain and valley views, secluded bays and elegant country houses. The boat calls at Wray Castle by request, and at Brockhole National Park Visitor Centre.
Windermere Lakes Cruises´ steamers, which are listed in black on the timetable are wheelchair accessible, and a ramp runs from the boat to the pier. The main cabin, which is under cover, is on the same level. Although the toilets are down a number of steps, there are disabled-access toilets on all piers.
A walker´s ticket will start and finish in Bowness or Ambleside. Starting from Ambleside, the wooden launch will take you to Wray Castle jetty, where you can take the walking path around the lake shore, south of Ferry House. Then you can catch the Cross Lakes Shuttle back to Bowness, where you can stop off for a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the pier café, before catching another boat back to Ambleside. If you start at Bowness, you can sail north to Ambleside, follow the same route as above and take the boat back to Bowness.
If you are taking your pooch across Windermere with you, it is worth noting that all ´well-behaved´ dogs travel free with Windermere Lake Cruises. For more information call: 015394 43360.
To give you more of an idea about the places you can travel to and from by boat, Bowness is the heart of the Lakes, and offers visitors a wide range of shops, cafés and restaurants. The Beatrix Potter Attraction is just a 5 minute walk from the pier.
Ambleside is set amongst beautiful mountains and gentle rolling fells, and this popular Lakeland village is a popular point for travellers to embark and disembark the boat.
Lakeside is situated at the southern end of Windermere, and is home to the award-winning freshwater Lakes Aquarium, and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Steam Railway, with over 30 fascinating displays of freshwater fish. The railway is on the opposite side to the jetty, and connects with the large steamers, which transport travellers to the Leven Valley.
Lake District attractions, which can be reached by boat include the Lakes Aquarium and The Beatrix Potter Attraction. You can start your journey from Bowness, Ambleside or Lakeside, and if you prefer, combine a boat trip with a walking tour around Windermere for the best of both worlds.
Follow the road to the shores of Lake Windermere at Bowness Bay. Here you will find a wide range of attractions, including: rowing boats for hire, steamers to take you on a Windermere cruise, and some of the best scenery in the Lake District.
