Things to Do in Windermere & Bowness, Lake District

Explore Windermere & Bowness - Half honeypot, half hillside hideaway: busy, boat-horned and ice-cream sticky in summer, muffled and hearth-smoke soft in winter.

Explore Activities

Discover Windermere & Bowness

Windermere and Bowness sprawl along the eastern shore of England’s longest lake like siblings who turned out nothing alike. Windermere, up the hill, carries the scent of steam-train coal and fresh-ground coffee; Bowness, down on the water, smells of ferry diesel, damp rope and hot-dog onions. Together they net almost every first-time Lake District traveller, so the streets ring with a dozen languages, bicycle bells and the metallic zip of folding walking poles. Victorian stone hotels stand wall-to-wall with outdoor shops whose windows blaze neon-pink Gore-Tex, while swans hiss at kayakers and the lake itself flashes gun-metal or jade depending on the cloud. The lake is the obvious magnet, yet the villages have learned to ride their own fame without sinking. Step away from the piers and you’ll still find slate-roofed alleys where the air cools and the only sounds are a lawn-mower and someone practising flute. Windermere & Bowness keep one foot in the 19th century: brass bands still march the promenade on Sundays, waffle-cone perfume drifts from an 1890s tea-room, and if you arrive early you’ll watch mist lift off the water like steam from a giant teacup.

Why Visit Windermere & Bowness?

🏙️

Atmosphere

Half honeypot, half hillside hideaway: busy, boat-horned and ice-cream sticky in summer, muffled and hearth-smoke soft in winter.

💰

Price Level

🛡️

Safety

excellent

Perfect For

Windermere & Bowness is ideal for these types of travelers

First-time visitors

Families

Hikers

Top Attractions in Windermere & Bowness

Don't miss these Windermere & Bowness highlights

Windermere Lake Cruises

Steamers pull out of Bowness Pier with a throaty horn blast and a puff of diesel that somehow smells like holiday. From the top deck you’ll watch wooded coves slide past, hear ropes thud against the hull and feel the breeze sharpen as the boat reaches the open middle.

Tip: Catch the 09:20 red cruise to Ambleside; day-trippers haven’t arrived yet and the return ticket lets you hop off at Wray Castle for a lakeside picnic.

Orrest Head

A 20-minute stomp above Windermere station lands you a sudden, wind-laced panorama: the full length of the lake laid out like a steel ribbon, Coniston Old Man peeking behind.

Tip: Take the footpath that starts opposite the station exit, not the signposted road, and you’ll hear skylarks instead of car engines.

Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House

Inside this hillside mansion you’ll smell beeswax on oak panels and feel the chill of slate floors under leather slippers handed out at the door. Windows frame Windermere like a moving painting.

Tip: The second-floor window seat at 3pm catches golden lake reflections; bring a sketchbook and staff will usually let you linger.

Bowness-on-Windermere Promenade

Evening brings the tang of charcoal from the burger van, the clack of pétanque balls and swans hustling for chips. Lights glitter on black water while the bandstand creaks in the breeze.

Tip: Grab artisan gelato from the green kiosk, then walk south past the last bench; the path turns quiet and you’ll hear nothing but lapping waves.

The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction

It smells of paper and lavender, and you’ll hear tiny feet patter on a sound track while digital projections let Peter Rabbit nibble your shoelaces. Surprisingly enjoyable even without kids.

Tip: Book the 5pm slot on weekdays; school groups have left and you can see the displays without queueing for photos.

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Where to Eat in Windermere & Bowness

Taste the best of Windermere & Bowness's culinary scene

The Pig, Windermere

Modern British

Specialty: Slow-roast Windermere pork belly with damson ketchup, around £18.

Hooked, Bowness

Seafood bistro

Specialty: Cumbrian gin-cured trout on sourdough, £9 small plate.

Homeground Coffee, Windermere

Independent café

Specialty: Kendal cream-latte and warm treacle tart, £4.

The Station Inn, opposite Windermere station

Pub

Specialty: Herdwick lamb hot-pot with crusty lid, £14.

Lakeland Pedlar, Rayrigg Road

Vegetarian caféé-bakery

Specialty: Celeriac and thyme pie with flaky pastry, £8.

Windermere & Bowness After Dark

Experience the nightlife scene

The Belsfield Hotel Bar

Locals in walking boots mix with wedding guests drinking local gin on the terrace that juts over the lake.

Lake-view sundowners, smart-casual

The Crafty Baa, Ash Street

Wood-panelled den with 200+ beers and board games; dogs asleep under stools.

Ale-geek friendly, cosy clutter

Lakeside Pub (Bowness Pier)

Live folk on Fridays, cask xylophone from the hand-pull pumps, windows steaming up as ferry lights slide past.

Salty sing-along, tourist-regular mix

Getting Around Windermere & Bowness

Everything in Windermere & Bowness is walkable in 15 minutes, but the steep hill between them can feel longer after a big lunch. Stagecoach 599 open-top ‘Lakesider’ bus links Bowness Pier, Windermere station and Ambleside every 20 minutes in summer; day ticket around a fiver. Rent bikes at Country Lanes and you can pedal the traffic-free western shore to Wray Castle in 40 minutes - watch for sheep on the path. Ferries accept contactless cards at the gangway; if you’re staying three days the Freedom of the Lakes pass covers boats plus most buses and tends to pay for itself by the second day. Parking in Bowness fills by 10am; use the Glebe 24-hour car park and walk five minutes rather than circling.

Where to Stay in Windermere & Bowness

Recommended accommodations in the area

The Hideout, Helm Road

Budget

£45-£70

Eco-pod beds, lake shuttle

Rum Doodle, Crescent Road

Mid-range

£90-£140

Himalayan-themed B&B, great veggie breakfasts

Windermere Suites