Quiet side street, village centre
Jerichos
A contemporary, family-run guest house on a quiet street in the middle of Windermere — stylish rather than chintzy, and long regarded as one of the best breakfasts in the town.
Windermere town is where the railway arrived in 1847, and the streets of substantial Victorian villas that went up around the station are now largely guest houses and small B&Bs. They are, as a group, considerably better value than the lakeside hotels and often better run — most are owner-occupied, and the breakfast tends to be the thing they compete on. This guide covers the best regarded of them and what a stay in each is actually like.
Quick Facts
Before 1847 Windermere barely existed — the settlement was Birthwaite, and the lake trade was at Bowness. The railway changed that in a decade, and the solid stone villas along College Road, Ellerthwaite and the streets around them were built to take the visitors it brought. Most of them are now guest houses, which is a rather satisfying continuity: they were built for exactly this.
It also explains the one thing that surprises arrivals. The town is not on the water. Bowness, and the lake, are a mile and a half downhill.
Listed roughly by position rather than ranking — every one of these is independently run, and the character varies a great deal more than the star ratings suggest.
Quiet side street, village centre
A contemporary, family-run guest house on a quiet street in the middle of Windermere — stylish rather than chintzy, and long regarded as one of the best breakfasts in the town.
Windermere
A well-established independent with a strong reputation for hosting; consistently among the highest-rated in the town.
Windermere
A traditional Lakeland stone guest house near the centre, family-run and reliably well reviewed for breakfast and welcome.
Windermere
Named after the spoof mountaineering novel, and rather good fun with it — comfortable, characterful and popular for special occasions.
Windermere
Built in 1888 of Lakeland stone, and one of the better examples of the Victorian villa turned guest house — traditional character with modern rooms.
Windermere
Set back in its own garden, quiet, and within easy walking distance of both the station and the road down to Bowness.
Windermere
A long-standing independent close to the centre, with its own parking — useful in a town where that matters.
Windermere
A small owner-run guest house in a quiet residential part of the town, well regarded for its breakfast.
Windermere
Traditional, family-run and central, a few minutes from the station and the shops.
Windermere
A Victorian house on the Bowness road, positioned between the two centres — handy if you want to walk down to the lake in the evening.
It is a mile and a half from Windermere town to Bowness Bay, mostly downhill on the way there, and a pleasant twenty-five minutes. Coming back at the end of an evening is a different proposition. Most guests walk down and take a taxi or the bus back up — sensible, and worth arranging before you set off.
If you would rather stay on the water, the Bowness guest houses are covered in our Bowness guide.
The path starts almost opposite the railway station and takes about twenty minutes of honest uphill. The reward is the whole length of Windermere with the Coniston and Langdale fells stacked behind it — the view that set a young Alfred Wainwright off on the fell-walking guides. It is free, it is still there, and from most Windermere guest houses you can be on top of it before breakfast.
The grand sweep: ten lakes, the high passes between them, and an Ullswater Steamers cruise exclusive to this tour. If a celebration stay deserves one great day out, this is it.
See dates & bookCollected at the door, your party only, the day shaped to you — literary landscapes, hidden valleys, or simply the most beautiful roads we know. Well-behaved dogs are welcome aboard in our vehicle crates.
Enquire about a private dayDove Cottage at Grasmere — entry included as standard — and the valleys that made the poems, with Dora's Field carpeted gold in daffodil season. The right literary day for this most Georgian of addresses.
See dates & bookAcross the lake to Hill Top and Near Sawrey, with our illustration-matching walk through the village lanes — back for a long lakeside lunch.
See dates & bookThe afternoon version crosses the lake by boat rather than by road — worth choosing if you'd like the crossing itself to be part of the day.
See dates & bookA slow hall morning, then eight lakes and their valleys at a seven-seat pace — the most civilised way to spend a Lakeland afternoon.
See dates & bookThe same eight lakes as the afternoon tour, run the opposite way round in the morning — ideal if you'd rather keep your afternoon free for the lawns.
See dates & bookA full literary day east to Haworth — the Parsonage, the cobbled village, and the moors that gave Wuthering Heights its weather, newly magnetic with the recent film. Oxenholme pickup available.
See dates & bookInto the Dales for Grassington's "Darrowby", the Wensleydale Creamery, Kilnsey Crag and Bolton Abbey — filming locations brought to life around you with live scene technology.
See dates & bookIf you would rather not work to a departure time, a private day collects directly from your guest house and runs entirely to your own plans. Well-behaved dogs are welcome aboard, travelling safely in the crates our vehicles carry.
Not sure which route suits your plans, or want a day built entirely from scratch — a family reunion, a wedding anniversary, scattering ashes somewhere that mattered? Tell us what you have in mind and we'll design a day around it — see our guide to celebrating a special occasion for ideas, or get in touch directly.
No — the town is about a mile and a half uphill from the water. Bowness is the lakeside village. The lake is also called Windermere, which is where the confusion comes from.
Windermere railway station, usually a short walk from any of these guest houses. Bowness Pier 1 and Ambleside library are our other two, and private tours can collect at the door.
Generally yes, and often noticeably. Most are owner-occupied, breakfasts tend to be excellent, and many include parking — which in Windermere is worth having.
Some do and some do not, and policies change — check directly when booking. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on our private tours regardless.
We are an independent local tour operator. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by any guest house or bed and breakfast listed. Small businesses change hands — please check current details directly before booking.