Discover Cumbria

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The longest lake in The Lake District, over 20 miles, Windermere stretches from Waterhead - Ambleside in the North to Newby Bridge in the south. It is possible to cross Windermere by car ferry at Bowmess on Windermere, just a few minutes trip will save over an hour journey by road. Windermere attracts by far the greatest visitor numbers partly due to the diverse range of towns and villages adjacent to it's shores. The most popular and easy of which to reach is Bowness on Wimdermere.

A quiet alternative to Ambleside, Glenridding is a great base for exploring Ullswater and Patterdale. Quite a small village with a couple of pubs, a food shop and cafes. Also an outdoor shop. The village is at the foot of Hellvelyn and a natural choice for doing the famous Striding Edge route, a steep sided arete leading to the summit. A steamer can be taken along Ullswater from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge. This is a particularly impressive boat trip and is a fine alternative to a cruise on Windermere.

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Barrow-in-Furness is a large industrial town which developed from being a tiny 19th century hamlet to the biggest centre for iron and steel in the world. It is well known for being a major ship building town.

There are many notable public buildings in Barrow - churches and the town hall.

Walney Island can be reached via a bridge at Barrow docks. It is a 10 mile long island said to be the windiest lowland site in Britain. It features 2 nature reserves.

Piel Island is situated between Walney Island and Barrow and can be accessed by ferry where you can see Piel Castle.

Provides a vital link between Ferry Nab, near Bowness and Far Sawrey on the Western side of Windermere (lake). This chain driven ferry runs regularly throughout the day. Services vary between seasons so please check web site for details.

An excellent way to cut accross Windermere to Hawkshead, Far Sawrey and The Grizedale Forest thus avoiding a long journey via Ambleside. The Ferry runs from Ferry Nab, Bowness strating at 06:50 (08:50 on Sundays) and every 30 minutes until 20:50. Departure from Ferry House, Far Sawrey 07:00 (09:00 on Sundays) and every 30 minutes until 21:00.