Guide · Planning Lake District
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Choosing where to base yourself in the Lake District is one of the most consequential decisions of any visit. The southern Lakes — Windermere town, Bowness-on-Windermere and Ambleside — are the three main bases for first-time visitors and each has a distinct character, distinct practical advantages and distinct disadvantages.
This guide explains the differences and helps you choose based on what you actually want from your visit.
Windermere is the railway terminus and has been since 1847. The town itself is about a mile and a half from the lake — a fact that surprises many visitors who expect to step off the train onto the waterfront. The lake is at Bowness, a short bus or taxi ride down the hill.
Best for: Visitors arriving by train. Visitors who want quieter streets. Visitors on a tighter budget (accommodation tends to be marginally cheaper than Bowness).
The character: A Victorian railway town, built to serve visitors arriving by train. The main street has hotels, B&Bs and a good range of independent shops. It is quieter than Bowness and less obviously touristy.
The practical point: All our tours pick up from Windermere station. If you are joining a tour, this is the most convenient base.
Bowness is the tourist centre of the Lake District — the point from which Windermere lake cruises depart, the site of the Beatrix Potter World of Peter Rabbit exhibition, and the place where the majority of the Lake District's hotels and restaurants are concentrated. It is lively, occasionally crowded and, for those who want the lake on the doorstep, entirely practical.
Best for: Visitors who want the lake immediately accessible. Visitors who enjoy the energy of a busy tourist centre. Visitors who want the widest choice of restaurants and accommodation.
The character: A Victorian lakeside resort that has continued to develop as a tourist destination through the 20th and 21st centuries. The waterfront is busy in summer; the streets away from the lake are quieter.
The practical point: The Bowness waterfront is a pickup point on all our tours. Car parking in Bowness in summer is difficult and expensive — this is one of the strongest arguments for the train.
Ambleside is four miles north of Windermere along the A591, at the head of Windermere lake. It is a market town rather than a tourist resort, though tourism has been its main industry for two centuries. The streets are older and less obviously commercial than Bowness; the outdoor equipment shops reflect the town's role as a base for fell walkers.
Best for: Visitors who want to walk independently. Visitors who want a slightly quieter base. Visitors who are spending more than two or three days and want to explore the central Lakes.
The character: A working town with a serious walking culture. The shops on the main street include some of the finest outdoor equipment retailers in the Lake District alongside the cafés and restaurants. The Roman fort at Galava is a ten-minute walk from the town centre.
The practical point: Ambleside is a pickup point on all our tours, but is not directly on the train line — you take the train to Windermere and the bus or taxi north to Ambleside.
If you are planning to spend time in the northern Lakes — Derwentwater, Borrowdale, Ullswater, Bassenthwaite — Keswick is the natural base. It is further from the railway (Oxenholme is the nearest mainline station, with a connection to Windermere and then a drive or bus), but it places you centrally within the northern Lake District landscape.
Keswick is a handsome market town on the edge of Derwentwater, with a good range of independent accommodation and restaurants. The Keswick launch on Derwentwater operates year-round with multiple stops around the lake.
The Lake District has an unusually good range of self-catering accommodation — holiday cottages in many of the villages and rural properties around the lakes. For visitors staying more than two or three nights who want the flexibility of cooking independently, self-catering is worth considering. The National Trust, Herdwick Cottages and various independent letting agencies all offer good-quality properties.
Hotels and B&Bs in the southern Lakes are plentiful and cover the full range from budget guesthouses to country house hotels. The Lakes are not notably cheap for accommodation — this is one of the most popular short-break destinations in England — but prices are lower in September, October, January and February than at peak summer.
All three towns are pickup points on our tours. See the departure points page for full details.
Settling on a base? Keep exploring:
About a mile and a half — the lake is actually at Bowness, a short bus or taxi ride downhill.
Windermere town, since all tours pick up from Windermere station.
Being the tourist centre of the Lake District, and the departure point for Windermere lake cruises.
For summer weekends and bank holidays, several months in advance. For autumn and winter visits, a few weeks is usually sufficient.
Many hotels have parking, but in Bowness and Windermere it is limited. This is one of the practical arguments for arriving by train.