Windermere Ferry

The Windermere Way is a 45-mile circuit of Windermere, a lake in the English Lake District. The route is wholly within the Lake District National Park and takes in the summits of Wansfell, Loughrigg Fell and Gummer's How as well as passing through the towns of Ambleside and Windermere.

Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its widest, it is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial period. It has been one of the country's most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway's branch line in 1847. Forming part of the border between the historic counties of Lancashire and Westmorland, Windermere is today within the administrative county of Cumbria and the Lake District National Park.

Hawkshead and Claife is a National Trust property made up of much of the town of Hawkshead and surrounding Claife Woodlands in Cumbria, England. Overlooking Windermere itself is Claife Station, the ruins of a residence notable for the fact that each room was glazed in differing coloured glass to give the effect of viewing the landscape in the changing seasons. Hawkshead is home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery, another National Trust property. The Trust also owns four miles of access along Windermere lakeshore.

Belle Isle is the largest of 18 islands on Windermere, a mere in the English Lake District, and the only one ever to have been inhabited. It is 1 km in length. The Roman governor at Ambleside built a villa on the island. In 1250 it was the seat of the district's Lord of the Manor. It was also a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War. Island House was built in 1774 to designs by John Plaw. It is unusual in that it is circular in plan, built of brick, three floors high with a four column portico; it draws closely on the Pantheon, Rome. The house was sold along with the island to the wealthy Curwen family who renamed the island after their daughter, Isabella. It was then sold on to Isabella Curwen by her family in 1781 for £1,720 and was permanently renamed after her. The descendants of Isabella and her husband John Christian Curwen lived on the island until 1993.It is called 'Bell Island' not 'Isabella Island' because of use of the shortened form of Isabella- Bella, which lost the 'a' to become 'Bell', spelt 'Belle' by the Ordnance Survey map of 1925 over the years. It was known locally as the Great Island or Long Holme and formerly known as Longholm, before its renaming in 1774.In 1996 (some records suggest 23 December 1994), Belle Isle House suffered serious damage following a large fire. However, it was repaired and is once again a place of residence.

Storrs Hall is a hotel on the banks of Windermere in Storrs in the Lake District, Cumbria, England. The hotel, a Grade II* listed Georgian mansion, is also home to the National Trust-owned folly the "Temple" on the end of a stone jetty on Windermere. Situated in the Lake District, Storrs Hall sits alongside the Windermere. It stands in seventeen acres of grounds and woodland.The mansion was first built in the 1790s by Sir John Legard, a Yorkshire landowner. After 14 years of owning the building, Sir John Legard became increasingly crippled by gout, and eventually sold Storrs Hall in 1804. The new owner of Storrs Hall was John Bolton, born in Ulverston in 1756, who was a rich man and one of the wealthiest men of his class. He extended the mansion and created a park. John Bolton was a Cumbrian who made a fortune as a Liverpool slave trader. He bought Storrs Hall with some of the proceeds and used the residence to entertain in style, holding regattas on the lake which were attended by Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott amongst others.Elizabeth Bolton died in 1848 and the hall passed to her nephew Reverend Thomas Staniforth. Thomas was the son of former Lord Mayor of London Samuel Staniforth and grandson of Thomas Staniforth, also former mayor and slave trader. Staniforth moved into the hall in 1859 after retiring from his parish and lived there until he passed in 1887. As he never had any children the estate was sold off in lots.Between 1940 and 1944, Storrs Hall (which had previously been used both as a girls' school and as a youth hostel) played host to the staff and boys of St Hugh's School, Woodhall Spa, who were evacuated from their own buildings amidst the airfields of Lincolnshire during World War II.Today, Storrs Hall is a 4 star hotel.

Storrs is a hamlet in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Bowness-on-Windermere, on the A592 road, close to the east shore of the lake, Windermere.Historically a part of Westmorland, the most notable landmark is the Grade II* listed Georgian mansion and folly at Storrs Hall.

Blackwell is a large house in the English Lake District, designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Baillie Scott. It was built in 1898–1900, as a holiday home for Sir Edward Holt, a wealthy Manchester brewer. It is near the town of Bowness-on-Windermere with views looking over Windermere and across to the Coniston Fells. Blackwell has survived with almost all its original decorative features intact, and is listed Grade I as an outstanding example of British domestic architecture. The house is furnished with original furniture and objects from the period. The gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson in a series of terraces. Flowers and herbs border the terraces, which form sun traps on the south side of the house. The house has been open to visitors since 2001 and hosts regular exhibitions including work by living artists such as Edmund de Waal in 2005. It won the Small Visitor Attraction Award in the Northwest of England for 2005. The house is managed by the Lakeland Arts Trust.

St Martin's Church stands in the centre of the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Its benefice is united with that of St Anne's Church, Ings; St Cuthbert's Church, Kentmere; St James' Church, Staveley; Jesus Church, Troutbeck and St Mary's Church, Windermere.

The New Hall Inn, also known as the Hole in t'Wall, is the oldest public house in Bowness-on-Windermere, and is a Grade II listed building.

Bowness-on-Windermere is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Windermere, in South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. Due to its position on the banks of Windermere, the town has become a tourist honeypot. Although their mutual growth has caused them to become one large settlement, the town is distinct from the town of Windermere as the two still have distinguishable town centres. Historically part of Westmorland, in 2012, Bowness was one of the official stop off points for the Olympic torch before it made its way to the Olympic Games opening ceremony. In 1951 the parish had a population of 3345.

Broad Leys is a house located in Ghyll Head, near Bowness-on-Windermere, South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. It is in the northern part of the parish of Cartmel Fell.It was constructed in 1898 by Charles Voysey for Arthur Currer Briggs and mine owner from Yorkshire. It was later purchased by the owners of Kendal Milne, a department store in Manchester.It is now owned by Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club It was constructed in an Arts and Crafts style. In 1951, it was acquired by the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club and became the home of powerboat racing on Windermere, until the introduction of a 10 mph speed limit in 2005. Following discussions with the LDNPA exemption has been granted for racing on Windermere since 2013 and this allows the club to race from Broad Leys on specific days of the year. The building is Grade I listed.It was used as the location for the conclusion of the film The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) and for the Agatha Christie's Poirot television episode "Dumb Witness" (1996). Despite it being a private club, members of the public can book to stay (bed & breakfast; with evening meal by prior arrangement with the manager) in the house at certain times during the year unless there are pre-arranged club events taking place. Broad Leys is also available to hire for weddings on five weekends of the year and is ideal for birthday parties, christenings, funeral wakes and corporate events all subject to availability due to pre-arranged club events.

The Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club is a British boating club based at Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria. The Club was founded in the 1920s. Its present headquarters, Broad Leys, was acquired in the 1950s. It is an architecturally significant building.For many years, power-boating and water-skiing were popular activities on the lake. With the introduction of a 10 mph speed limit on Windermere in 2005, the motorboat racing programme has moved to Barrow Docks. Broad Leys is now a base for sailing on Windermere.