AllWays Traveller Features
Bowness-on-Windemere in undulating Lakeland countryside
We woke to a sky rich in red over the undulating Lakeside countryside.
It was stunning and boded well for the day ahead.
Two hours later the sun had broken through to warm the chill air. The thermometer rose to 8C as Bowness-on-Windemere came alive.
It was January 3, but the attraction of Lakeland continues. Cars poured in and the parking areas soon filled up.
Queues formed for the first cruises at around 10.30am and the boats left the dock packed.
No wonder.
The cloudless sky contrasted with the landscape still showing pencil-like trees bereft of foliage and autumnal tints on the hills.
Shops quickly filled and retail therapy was alive and kicking.
The popular leather and knitwear shops, for example, boasted big discounts as did the huge garden centre at nearby Ambleside.
Cafes and fast-food outlets plus the pubs and hotels were busy and so were the roads.
Lakeland is obviously an outlet for the population dense North-West but it is only three hours from Edinburgh.
You can also get there on the train from London (Euston, less than three hours), Edinburgh and Glasgow (both around two hours) via Oxenholme Station, near Kendal (3.6 miles).
There is much to see and do but on a windless early January day a walk along Windemere lake seemed the best plan.
It was a short break for us but it provided a lift after a spell of horrible, damp weather in Scotland.
In fact, the drive south was via the M74 and M6 in driving rain. Not the most pleasant of experiences.
Driving from London takes less than six hours.
We stayed:
The clean, comfortable, affordable Travel Lodge (sat nav LA8 8AA) with parking at Kendal.
Easy to find behind the Shell petrol station on the A591. Wi-fi is free for 30 minutes of £3 for 24-hours and hair dryer on request.
We ate: Pizza Express in nearby Kendal.
A one-way system operates in the town and we found parking difficult.
The main one near the bus station was closed and the peripheral areas were either small and difficult to access or not easy to find.
The restaurant was around 15 minutes by foot through the town centre from the car park area we eventually found but it was packed with diners of all ages. Service was slick and food good and it had a great atmosphere.
The Magic Roundabout: Bowness-in-Windemere
Open from 8.30am it is ideally placed on a busy roundabout only minutes from the boat pier. The service here was friendly and quick and the food good. Eggs benedict was first class as was the light fry-up breakfast with lots of vine tomatoes, tasty Cumberland sausage and delicious smoky bacon.
Things to do:
Winderemere Cruises
Autumn, winter and spring cruises are regular during the day with a number of options including a walkers ticket from February to April.
Ticket deals include a combined islands and jetty museum and, during the season, there is a cruise and steam train option.
Car parking at Bowness (300), Ambleside (200) and Lakeside (300) with up to ten hours for £4.
www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk
Dogs
There is an official guide for loves of our four-legged friend.
Adventure
A Lake District adventure guide is available.
Windemere Outdoor Adventure Centre at Bowness and Windermere
Booking is essential for most activities which include sailing, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, guided lake tours, watersports taster sessions, segways and even outdoor swimming.
Windermere Canoe Kayak
The Boat House, Ferry Nab, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3JH. Watersports and bike hire available
Mountain adventure, Honister Pass, Borrowdale, Keswick
Open seven days a week with a zip wire due to come into play in 2020 with a slate mine tour, a cliff-edge footpath to Fleetwith Pike, an infinity bridge strung across a gorge on the mountain high above the valley floor, climbing.
Cumbrian Heavy Horses, Baystone Bank Farm, Whicham Valley
The world's only heavy horse riding centre with all abilities catered for.
The Ruskin Museum, , Coniston
The museum tells the story of the lake through the lives and achievements of John Ruskin and Donald Campbell. Daily from 10am to 4.30pm.
Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass, Cumbria
Stunning rooms, furniture, legends and takes and still lived in for more than 800 years. Gardens plus a hawk and owl centre and family fun in playgrounds and a maze.
Escaperooms, The Stone Barn, Lakeland Village, Newby Bridge
Between two and six people are immersed into a themed room to complete a game within 60 minutes. Objects, codes and hidden puzzles.
Hire a bike: Country Lanes Cycle Centre, The Railway Station, Windermere
www.countrylaneslakedistrict.co.uk
Fishing : Esthwaite Water trout fishery, The Boathouse, Hawkshead
A natural 280-acre water in the heart of the Lake District with year-round, boat and bank fishing. Regularly stocked. Knowledgable staff.
Lakes aquarium, Lakeside, Newby Bridge LA12 8AS (t:015395 30153), open daily. Britain's largest collection of freshwater fish with combined cruise and train tickets available (seasonal).
Windermere Jetty, Rayrigg Road, Windermere LA23 1BN: a museum of boats, steam and stories which is open daily (times vary).
Windermerejetty.org
Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley Inn Yards
See award-winning brewers doing what they do best.
Lakes Distillery, Setmurthy, Bassenthwaite Lake
Restored from a crumbling former Victorian model farm this attraction uses water from the peaty foothills of Scafell Pike. Bistro and bar on site.
Holehird Gardens, Patterdale Road, Windermere
Run by volunteers, the garden is home of the Lakeland Horticultural Society and the aim is to encourage visitors to learn from the experience and take the lessons back to their own garden.
Osprey experience: The Boathouse, Hawkshead, LA22 0QF (t: 015394 36541) with safari tour along with wildlife photographer on Esthwaite Water.
Gingerbread, The Grasmere Gingerbread, Church Cottage, Grasmere
The only place in the world where you can buy this product invented by Victorian cook Sarah Nelson in 1854.
www.grasemeregingerbread.co.uk
Children's Chocolate Factory, Main Street, Hawkshead
Hours vary depending on time of year but visitors make their own chocolates and workshops last depending on how many children there are.
Beatrix Potter's Hill Top: near Sawrey, Hawkshead, Ambleside
Walk in the footsteps of the famous characters including Jemima Puddle-Duck.
The Peter Rabbit Experience, Crag Brow, Bowness-on-Windermere
Famous tales are brought to life in three dimensions.
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ISSN 2634-7032
London, United Kingdom
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