Windermere Holiday Lodge

THE LAKE DISTRICT

My first memories of visiting the Lake District were as a six year old boy travelling there on a family holiday, in the back of our car with our dog, Lassie. This was the first time I had seen the lakes and I was instantly attracted by their beauty and dramatic landscape. As a child, we would often holiday at the lakes, and although the joys of staying under canvas did have it's challenges at times always looked forward to returning for our next adventure.

As such, all through my adult life I've always had a soft spot for the Lakes and love going back whenever I can and now find that my wife and children (and dog) share my desire and as a family “we love the lakes”. One day we dream of buying a house there and opening our curtains every day and breath in the landscape of the lakes, mountains and coastline. Until then, we’ve taken the plunge and bought a beautiful lodge near lake Windermere which we think is in the perfect location for great family holidays and exploring the many delights of the lakes.

There is such diversity and an unrivalled choice of things to see and do that we are sure whether you are considering the lake district as a holiday destination for the first time, or like us you just keep coming back to a place you love that you will have a great stay at our lodge .

By any name, The Lakes, The Lake District, Lakeland, this beautiful area of England is familiar to us all. Whilst you might never have visited the Lakes but images, stories, poems, legends, photographs, television programmes, films, documentaries, art, sculpture, etc., etc., and all referencing the Lake District, are constantly in front of our eyes, reminding us of this glorious place. We have seen so many of these images that we feel a comfortable familiarity that frequently has nothing to do with having actually visited the Lakes. Nothing, however, can take the place of really exploring this most beautiful of National Parks for yourself.
By Lake Windermere

Although we refer to the area as 'The Lake district', this National Park is also the place where you can see some of Britain's highest mountains, including Scafell Pike which is England's highest, and ranking only behind Scotland's Ben Nevis and Wales' Snowdon. Many town, village and mountain names are familiar to scores of us but the Lake District has dozens of tiny villages, tarns, and hills that need just a little bit more effort to reach but reward the traveller with their beauty.

The visitor to Lakeland might be drawn there for any number of reasons but many make a visit to visit the places where John Ruskin, Beatrice Potter and William Wordsworth were inspired to put pen to paper. It might be that the mountains and their crags present challenges to the walker and climber that can't be ignored; many will follow in the well trodden footsteps of Alfred Wainwright. Many famous climbers have 'cut their teeth' on these steep faces before going on to conquer far-flung Alpine, Himalayan and South American mountains. The ever-changing panorama of mountains, lakes, villages and weather are a source of constant inspiration to artists and photographers. The lakes themselves offer opportunities for using boats of all sizes, from canoes and rowing boats to luxury power cruisers. If studying wildlife and plantlife is your interest, these mountains offer refuge to large numbers of birds and animals, some of which are rarely seen elsewhere. If all you want from your holiday is rest, peace and quiet, then this is also the place to come. For those wanting to browse amongst shops and galleries, the bigger tourist towns like Keswick offer all the browsing you could want and you'll find craft shops, galleries and centres dotted all around the Lake District.

Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside in the Lake District

The town of Windermere is, as its name suggests, alongside Lake Windermere and next to Bowness on Windermere, which is actually on the side of the lake. The Lake itself, measuring about 10 miles in length, is the largest in England and has always catered for most of the water sports activites in Lakeland, most of which can be enjoyed from Bowness. Until as recently as 2005 there were no speed restirctions but, in 2005, a 10mph limit was imposed. Thousands of boats are registered for private use on Windermere but visitors can hire rowing, boats, canoes and electric boats, or take a cruise on one of the launches that take tourists cruising around the beauty spots of the lake.
At the southern end of Windermere is Newby Bridge and at the northern end is the aptly named Waterhead and Ambleside. Bowness, on the eastern side of the lake, is the most popular resort for tourists who want to take advantage of the water sports and activities that Lakeland has to offer, whether you want to actively participate or sit back and enjoy watching others being energetic. There are 18 islands, of varying sizes, within lake Windermere. The largest is the privately owned Belle Isle, which lies opposite to Bowness and is about 1km in length. At the other end of the size-scale is the tiniest island, Maiden Holme, which supports just one tree. Getting from one end of the lake to the other is no problem. You can take a boat from the Lakeside Railway Station, at the southern end of the lake, on the 'Lakeside and Haverthwaite heritage steam railway and travel up to Waterhead at the northern end. If that seems like a contradiction in terms, taking a boat from a railway station, it's because the service was once operated by British Rail, in the days of the Furness Railway. To get from one side of the lake to the other, with your car, you can take a ferry from Ferry Nab on the eastern shore to Far Sawrey on the western side. In the summer, passenger ferries also operate, one from Lakeside station to Fell Foot Park and another from Bowness to Far Sawrey. There is always plenty of boating activity to see on the Lake and, with three large sailing clubs based on Windermere, there are frequent events to watch. A new water speed record was set in 1930 on Lake Windermere and then later again, in the 1950s. Windermere has always supported power boating and water ski-ing activites but speed limits were introduced in 2000 which became enforceable in 2005. The speed limits have been a source of bitter controversy from their inception as organisations supporting conservation, safety and tranquility issues came into conflict with sports enthusiasts and the local businesses that depend on those sports. For most of us, though, a trip to Windermere, whether for a day, a week or even longer, is the opportunity to find good places to eat, to walk along the lakeside enjoying the natural beauty of water and landscape and also to visit places of interest and browse around the many craft shops and galleries that can be found in all the villages.