The Ro occupies a restored Victorian building on Helm Road, above Bowness, that started life in 1881 as a water-cure hotel and now does something closer to the opposite — a Wellness Club, an indoor pool, and an elevated terrace built entirely around the view over the lake. A multi-million-pound refurbishment in 2021 turned it into one of the more contemporary stays in the village, without losing the hillside position that made the original building worth building in the first place. This guide covers what's within a short walk and the touring days worth adding to the stay.
Quick Facts
The Ro sits high enough above Bowness that the terrace and a good number of the rooms look straight over the rooftops to the lake and fells beyond — a position the Victorians chose for the same reason modern guests keep booking it. The 2021 refurbishment kept that hillside advantage while adding a Wellness Club with an indoor pool, hot tub and lake-view relaxation areas, so the view works whether you're on the terrace or in the water.
The World of Beatrix Potter is a genuinely short walk — around 250 metres — which makes The Ro one of the better bases in Bowness for a family stay built around it. The rest of the village, including the piers and the lake cruises, is a similarly easy walk downhill.
A hillside hotel with its own wellness facilities is an excellent base for a relaxed stay, and a limited view of the wider Lake District without at least one touring day. Scheduled departures leave Windermere station, Bowness Pier 1 and Ambleside library, all close by; private days collect you at the hotel.
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 is worth having in any season, but the Wellness Club makes this one of the more comfortable winter bases in the village — an indoor pool and hot tub on a cold, bright Lakeland day is hard to beat. Summer brings Bowness at its liveliest just downhill, spring and autumn thin the crowds while keeping the walk into the village pleasant, and the World of Beatrix Potter runs family activities through most of the year.
For a family stay, a private day is often the better fit — no fixed departure to work around nap times or pool sessions, and a route built entirely to your pace. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to come along in our vehicle crate, and the hotel itself is dog-friendly by arrangement.
Not sure which route suits your plans, or want a day built around younger children? See our guide to celebrating a special occasion for ideas, or get in touch directly.
Without a car: comfortable — the World of Beatrix Potter and the village are both a short walk downhill, and tour days cover the distances beyond.
If you drive: Bowness parking fills by mid-morning in season; Braithwaite Fold and Glebe Road are the sensible fallback.
Timing: book your tour day when you book the room — seven seats, and summer and half-term dates fill two to three weeks out.
Ages: our tours suit adults and older children, about seven and up; younger children are easily kept busy at the World of Beatrix Potter on non-touring days.
Bowness Pier 1, one of our three main pickup points, is a short walk downhill; Windermere station and Ambleside library are the other two, a short taxi ride away. On private tours we can usually collect you at the hotel itself.
Very close — around 250 metres, one of the shortest walks to the attraction from any hotel in Bowness.
Families often choose the Beatrix Potter tours to pair with a visit to the attraction itself, while couples tend towards the 10 Lakes Full-day Tour or a private day shaped to the group.
Comfortably — the village and the World of Beatrix Potter are both a short walk, 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 The Ro.