Windermere

Hardy traveller, Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria
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The weather forecast for today wasn’t great, but it was a lot better than we had been expecting. So we packed all the waterproofs and headed for the southern end of Lake Windermere (whoops, I keep forgetting it’s not a lake!).

My brother and I bought day tickets for one of the lovely old steamers that still travel up and down the lake. We were one of a small handful of passengers that set sail, heading for Bowness-on-Windermere.

My brother genuinely had a Jenga style tower of chips on his plate!

A rather posh pub, Ambleside, Lake District, Cumbria
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It was a bit blowy on board; but nothing was going to stop me sitting on deck. In fact the view wasn’t all that spectacular, just miles of tree lined shore interspersed with a few grand houses. There wasn’t even any wildlife to look at; presumably the birds prefer much quieter environs.

Bowness-on-Windermere is the first major town you come across on the lake and this is where we disembarked, whilst a large crowd waited to take our place. This was the crowded Lake District that I had heard about.

Windermere Boat Trip, Lake District, Cumbria
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Oh dear! I really couldn’t find anything to like about the place. We did wander up the steep high street … before wandering back down it again. It was packed with tourists who were busy getting fed and watered.

In the end I was persuaded to play a round of miniature golf! Having successfully kept ourselves occupied for an hour, we went back to the lake to catch the next boat. As we waited to board we spotted Dad standing on deck. We shouted and waved, all to no avail. Eventually I had to phone Mum to get them looking in our direction. They had been on the full tour, taking a steam train down to the lake before catching the boat.

Ambleside, Lake District, Cumbria
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Our next stop was at the north end of the lake, at a place called Ambleside. We found a nice pub on the edge of Windermere and ate our lunch huddled up next to a real log fire! I had local trout served with samphire – which I must say is a really tasty green. The food was very nice but a bit on the fancy side. My brother genuinely had a Jenga style tower of chips on his plate!

Afterwards, my brother and I headed off to find the town – about a mile inland. It was certainly more attractive than Bowness; surrounded by great, grey mountains. We mooched round the shops, before taking the lower route back around to the lakeside. We made it with 15 minutes to spare and caught the return trip home again.

I did try to sit on deck for the return journey, but nature had finally got the better of me. The wind was howling into my face, stealing every breath, forcing me to put up my hood and tie it well into position. I almost made it back to Bowness-on-Windermere. In the end, frozen solid, I headed down below to find Mum and Dad in the bar (with no drinks) surrounded by Japanese tourists. This was an improvement on the coach trip of four- and five-year-olds they had encountered on their outward journey!