Windermere
Situated at the heart of the National Park, Windermere is the largest lake in England and the town surrounding it is the bustling centre for the Lake District .
Stretching ten miles from Lakeside in the south to Waterhead in the north, Lake Windermere is one of the most famous places in the Lake District. Windermere is surrounded by tall wooded fells, while gliding on the waters are numerous pleasure boats, ferries, steamers and speedboats and though these were probably not what William Wordsworth imagined when he wrote that, ‘none of the other lakes unfold so many fresh beauties’, Windermere is beautiful sight. The best way of experiencing Windermere is to take to the limpid waters. The Steam Cruisers run from end to end, from Bowness to Ambleside or you could travel from Windermere to Hawkshead and Hill Top. One of the most stunning viewpoints of the lake is from Orrest Head 238m above the town of Windermere.
The town of Windermere grew from the arrival of the train in 1847 followed by hoards of Victorian tourists eager to see what the Romantics of the earlier century had gotten so passionate about. Windermere and nearby Bowness have bustled with tourists ever since and has numerous souvenir shops to stock up on Beatrix Potter knick knacks, though it still retains a certain urbane charm, with its Victorian town houses and Promenade.
Around Windermere and Bowness are the popular tourist centres of Brockhole, the National Park Visitor Centre, the World of Beatrix Potter, a whimsical collection of life size Potter characters such as Jermima Puddle Duck, Squirrel Nutkin and Peter Rabbit which will please children of all ages and Hill Top the Lakeland farmhouse, over looking Windermere, where Beatrix Potter wrote her famous children’s stories.
Windermere’s central location and ready accessibility make it an ideal base for experiencing the unique beauty of the Lakeland scenery.
