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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 31 January, 2023
Expert travel writer: Oliver Berry

You really couldn’t come to the Lakes and not get out on the water at least once. Thankfully, there’s plenty of opportunity to do so, with four of the major lakes – Windermere, Coniston, Ullswater and Derwentwater – all offering scheduled boat trips, along with the chance to hire your own rowboat, motorboat or sailboat if you prefer to travel under your own steam.

Price from: £5
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 4+
When: All year around
Duration: Any

Getting there & doing it

The widest range of trips are offered by Windermere Lake Cruises, which operates three colour-coded trips around Windermere, ranging in length from around half an hour to two hours. These are also the most popular, however, and on a busy day the lakeshore around Bowness can be uncomfortably crowded. The Windermere Jetty Museum also offers trip in summer on two of its antique boats.

Coniston has a choice of trips: the Coniston Launch, which operates modern electric-powered boats, and the vintage Steam Yacht Gondola, a beautifully restored vessel built in 1859 and now owned and operated by the National Trust. Both companies also offer trips to John Ruskin’s home at Brantwood, as well as special cruises exploring the lake’s links with Swallows & Amazons author Arthur Ransome.

The Keswick Launch is the one for walkers: you can buy a hop-on, hop-off ticket that allows you to disembark at various jetties around the lake, walk along to the next one and then catch the next launch onwards.

Handsomest of all are the Ullswater Steamers, a fleet of beautiful heritage vessels including the stately Lady of the Lake, allegedly the oldest working passenger boat in the world, originally launched in 1877. The steamers shuttle around the lake between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding, with stops at Howtown on the lake’s eastern side, and the popular waterfall at Aira Force.

When to do it

Most of the cruise companies operate year-round, although timetables are substantially reduced during the winter months. As elsewhere in the Lake District, it’s best to avoid summer if you possibly can.

a wooden boat travelling across a lake
Experience

Keswick Launch, Derwentwater

Keswick, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Explore the shores of Derwentwater – Beatrix Potter’s favourite lake – with a hop-on, hop-off Walkers’ Ticket, or just sit back and enjoy the views of the fells. Complete tours of the Lake take 50 minutes, or you can disembark at one of the eight jetties en-route.

Best for ages: 4+ | £13 | 50 minutes

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The Steam yacht Gondola sailing on Coniston Water in the Lake District, Cumbria
Experience

Steam Yacht Gondola, Lake Coniston

Coniston, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Cruise Lake Coniston in serious style on a 19th century steam yacht, complete with saloons, leather sofas and a viewing deck. A full lake cruise takes 1 hour 40 minutes, or there are shortert cruises around the north or south sections of the lake.

Best for ages: 4+ | £24 | 1 hour 40 mins

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The Ullswater traditional steamboat travelling across Ullswater lake
Experience

Ullswater Steamers

Ullswater, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Arguably the most atmospheric of all the Lakeland cruises, this fleet of period vessels mostly dates from the 19th century, and offers incredible vistas over Ullswater and the Helvellyn range. Tours run all year round; a one-way trip across the lake from Glenridding Pier to Pooley Bridge Pier takes an hour.

Best for ages: Any | £12 | 1+ hours

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Windermere Jetty Museum
Experience

Windermere Jetty Museum

Windermere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Boat-lovers and history buffs should head to Lake Windermere’s excellent new boat museum dedicated to the history of boating on the lakes. It’s home to a collection of historical boats, and they run trips out onto Lake Windermere on one of two heritage vessels, MV Penelope II and SL Osprey.

Best for ages: 4+ | £9 | 30 minutes

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Augill Castle

Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

A lovingly restored 19th-century castle that’s also a family home and a friendly hotel. It’s near the market town of Kirkby Stephen, handy for exploring the eastern Lakes and the Eden Valley.

Official star rating:

Brimstone Hotel & Spa

Great Langdale, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

The Lakeland version of a deluxe ski lodge, offering supremely plush rooms, a lavish spa and a very private location on a Langdale estate. It’s also adults-only – making this an ideal place for couples looking for a place to pamper themselves.

Official star rating:

Daffodil Hotel

Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

A large, lakeside hotel not far from Grasmere, with a variety of rooms to suit all kinds of visitors – families, couples, walkers and weekend breakers will all find a happy home here.

Official star rating:

Forest Side Hotel

Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

One of the very best of the Lake District’s boutique hotels, a reinvented country mansion, brimming with wit, style and invention. In prime position for exploring the Lakes..

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Lake District

Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Imposing mountains, wild landscapes, tranquil lakes and picturesque towns combine to make the Lake District uniquely beautiful, and one of the best places in Britain for walking, climbing, boating and biking.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Hill Top

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Beatrix Potter’s cottage is every bit as pretty (and popular) as you’d expect – and, for fans of her books, offers the chance to see some of the places that inspired her illustrations.

Best for ages: 13+ | £15

Best walks in the Lake District

Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

The Lake District’s many hills – or ‘fells’ as they’re known in Cumbria – offer some of the best hiking in England, from short walks to full-day multi-summit treks. There’s nowhere better to appreciate the best of the British landscape.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 3 hours

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Castlerigg Stone Circle

Keswick, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

The most dramatic stone circle in all of England, standing on a lonely hilltop near Keswick for the last 3,000 years, and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre fells.

Best for ages: 8+ | Free

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Lady staring at a painting by Beatrix Potter, at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead, Cumbria. Beatrix Potter's original artwork on display in a 17th-century house.
Experience

Beatrix Potter Gallery

Hawkshead, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

This small gallery in Hawkshead is located in the old office of Beatrix Potter’s husband, solicitor William Heelis. It holds regular exhibitions of her work, including her beautiful botanical paintings.

Best for ages: 10+ | £7 | 3 hours

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Pedestrians outside the gift shop and cafe in the Main Street in the centre of Grasmere Village
Experience

Grasmere Village

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

The region’s most picturesque and charming village. Grasmere is set on the shores of its eponymous lake and cradled by green fields and fells. William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s – you can see the poet’s tombstone.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 3 hours

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Exterior of the brewery
Experience

Hawkshead Brewery

Kendal, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

The best-known of some fantastic craft breweries in the region. It has a brilliant beer hall at its main site in Staveley, where you can also take a guided tour to learn more about the brewing process

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 3 hours

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Aerial view of the country home
Experience

Holker Hall

Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)

Surrounded by acres of gardens, deer park and woodlands, this impressive stately home is home to Lord and Lady Cavendish. It is worth visiting for its ornate architecture and antiques, including original Chippendale furniture, as well as for its extensive grounds. There is also an excellent farm shop and restaurant.

Best for ages: 13+ | £14 | 3 hours

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