Windermere

From Birthwaite to a railway town

The Kendal and Windermere Railway reached Birthwaite in April 1847. Its terminus brought visitors into the hills and gave the settlement the name Windermere.

The new town grew around its uphill terminus, with hotels serving visitors bound for the lake. Bowness remained the lakeside settlement below.

Booths occupies the Old Station site on Victoria Street, close to the railway terminus. Its food counters and café make it a useful first stop before heading into Windermere or setting out for the fells.

A short turn off Main Road brings you to the National Park Print Shop on Crescent Road. Its Windermere shop and Risograph studio carry art prints, pins, patches and stickers by independent artists inspired by the outdoors.

Tables, taps and town character

Hooked, on Ellerthwaite Square, serves British seafood, including fish and hand-dived scallops, with seasonal produce.

Francine's on Main Road is a restaurant and coffee house with a bistro-style à la carte menu and daily additions boards.

The Crafty Baa on Victoria Street focuses on beer, with more than a hundred craft choices. It also serves food and welcomes dogs, making it an informal stop in central Windermere.

The Elleray on Cross Street combines a traditional pub, restaurant and rooms, with a beer garden, real ales and live music.

Coffee, old inns and first summits

Homeground Coffee + Kitchen pairs speciality coffee with daytime dining in Windermere.

Follow the hill down towards Bowness to find Hole in t' Wall, originally called the New Hall Inn. Built in 1612, it took its present name from a gap in the wall through which a neighbouring blacksmith received beer while he worked. It serves Robinsons ales and pub food, with a patio outside.

Orrest Head was Alfred Wainwright's first Lakeland fell. A 3.5 km return route begins beside the lower entrance to the Windermere Hotel and climbs through Elleray Wood to a 238-metre summit. The initial gradient reaches 1:4, and there are steep sections higher up. Compass seating helps visitors identify the surrounding fells. In 1902, Arthur Henry Heywood's widow and daughter gave the hill to the town for public enjoyment as his memorial.

School Knott and Brant Fell offer other viewpoints near Windermere and Bowness. Choose a route suited to the day's conditions and allow time for the climb and descent.

Lake access, Arts and Crafts, and churches

Millerground gives visitors public access to Windermere's shore. Blue-green algae blooms can harm people and animals, including dogs.

Windermere Lake Cruises connects Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside. The Freedom of the Lake ticket covers scheduled sailings for 24 hours, while the council's vehicle ferry uses separate tickets. Windermere is England's largest lake and about 10.5 miles long.

Blackwell, south of Bowness, is a Grade I-listed Arts and Crafts house designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott and now used for craft exhibitions. It lies about 2.7 miles from Windermere town centre in a straight line; the road journey is longer.

St Mary's Church in Windermere began as a chapel in 1848 and expanded in stages, with major work by Paley and Austin in 1881–82. It is Grade II listed. In Bowness, the Grade I-listed St Martin's stands on a church site recorded since 1203; its present building dates largely from around 1480 and retains medieval glass.

The railway argument and the town today

Wordsworth's sonnet against the proposed Kendal and Windermere Railway appeared in the Morning Post in October 1844. The railway opened in 1847 despite his campaign. Wordsworth died in 1850, three years after trains reached Windermere.

Windermere station connects the town with Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line. The 555 bus links the station with Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick.

The branch still terminates in Windermere. From the platform, visitors can explore the town, continue downhill to Bowness, or climb through Elleray Wood for views over the lake.