Hillthwaite sits in the gap between Bowness and Windermere, which turns out to be one of the better addresses in the whole valley — close enough to walk into either, elevated enough to look clean over both towards the lake and fells beyond. It's a boutique hotel that leans into the view: a terrace built for it, a lounge with a log fire and the same view through the window, rooms angled towards it where the building allows. This guide covers what's within reach on foot and the touring days that make the most of the wider Lakes.
Quick Facts
Hillthwaite's elevated position is the whole point — a genuinely wide panorama over Windermere and Bowness from the terrace, with the fells beyond doing the rest. It's worth timing at least one evening here around the light: the view changes hour to hour, and the terrace and lounge are both built to make the most of it. An indoor pool and garden round out a stay that doesn't require leaving the grounds at all if you'd rather not.
Sitting between the two towns means neither is more than a short walk or a very short taxi away. Windermere gives you the railway station and a slightly quieter high street; Bowness gives you the lake, the piers and the evening bustle. Most guests end up doing both over a stay rather than choosing.
A hotel between the two towns is well placed for exploring further, once a car or taxi is involved. Scheduled tour departures leave Windermere station and Bowness Pier 1, both a short ride away, and Ambleside library a little further; private days can collect you at the hotel itself.
The grand sweep: ten lakes, the high passes between them, and an Ullswater Steamers cruise exclusive to this tour. The full-day introduction most guests wish they'd booked first.
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 crate.
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.
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 start, then eight lakes and their valleys at a seven-seat pace — one of the most civilised ways 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.
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.
See dates & bookThe terrace view rewards every season differently — clear spring mornings, long golden summer evenings, autumn colour running down towards the lake, and winter's low light turning the whole panorama silver. The indoor pool makes this one of the more comfortable winter bases in the valley, when short bright walks are the order of the day rather than long fell routes.
For a couples' stay, a private day is often the better fit — no fixed departure to work around, and a route built entirely to your pace, with pickup at the hotel itself. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to come along in our vehicle crate.
Not sure which route suits your plans, or celebrating something specific? See our guide to celebrating a special occasion for ideas, or get in touch directly.
Without a car: comfortable, though the walk into either town is around 15 minutes — a short taxi covers it quickly if you'd rather not walk.
If you drive: Bowness and Windermere parking both fill by mid-morning in season; the hotel's own parking is the simplest option if staying local.
Timing: book your tour day when you book the room — seven seats, and summer dates fill two to three weeks out.
Ages: our tours suit adults and older children, about seven and up.
Windermere station and Bowness Pier 1 are both a short taxi ride, roughly equidistant from the hotel; Ambleside library is a little further. On private tours we can usually collect you at the hotel itself.
It sits genuinely between the two, around a 15-minute walk from either — which is exactly why guests use it as a base for both rather than picking one.
Couples staying here tend to choose the 10 Lakes Full-day Tour for the grand sweep, or a private day collected from the hotel and shaped around their pace.
Comfortably — taxis cover the short hops into either town, and guided tour days handle the further valleys and high passes.
We are an independent local tour operator. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hillthwaite.