25 things to do in Bowness and the Lake District

This list of things to do in Bowness and further out around the Lake District only includes stuff that I personally like. I’m a lifelong lover of this magical part of the country and wanted to share some of my favourite spots with you, from the ‘big hits’ of the Lakes to lesser-known gems.

The Lake District is England’s largest National Park, full of rugged fells, charming villages and interesting history, especially for any fellow literature lovers. Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth and even John Cunliffe (of Postman Pat fame!) all drew their inspiration from its landscape. It’s not hard to see why they fell in love with it. If you’re planning your first visit, you’re in for a treat. And if you’ve been before, there’s always more to uncover.

If this all sounds up your street, read on for 25 things to do in Bowness and further into the Lake District…

Things to do in Bowness and Windermere centres

1. Wander around Windermere or go out on the water 

How else can I start this little guide to things to do in Bowness other than with the famous Windermere itself?!

The first thing you should do when visiting is to head down to its shores at Bowness. At 10.5 miles long and 220 feet deep, Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. Having said that, it’s not actually a ‘lake’ per se, but a ‘mere’ (a lake that’s wider than it is deep). There are plenty of meres in the Lake District, but I suppose the Mere District didn’t have quite the same ring to it.

You can do proper boat cruises on Windermere if you’re not keen to hire a little rowing boat yourself. And I don’t blame you: I would definitely die. The cruise does a circular tour; check the Windermere Lake Cruises website for times and prices as details vary at different times of year.

Obviously, one lake isn’t enough on a Lake District trip. There are many more lakes/meres/tarns to see. If you’re only doing a short trip but want to whiz round a few, have a look at this well-rated minibus tour: six lakes morning tour (£32). 

2. Treat yourself to some bits and bobs in all the independent shops

There are loads of independent shops in Windermere/Bowness. My regular blog readers will know how much I love finding unique bits to treat myself to on my travels… It’s hard to leave empty-handed. 

Here are a few excellent shops that I recommend. I’ve linked their names to their Google Maps locations so you can easily find them:

• Bath House – This is a small Cumbria-based company that makes artisan, cruelty-free, sustainable and just all-round gorgeous bath/perfume/candle type stuff. Their Bowness branch is great as it has their entire collection of perfumes to try. I especially love that their packaging is all plastic-free and you can buy refills for the bottles.  They also have branches elsewhere in the north, including in Knutsford, Cheshire and Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, two of my other regular haunts. 
• The Northern Line – Probably the first shop I head to in Windermere. It’s SO good. They sell loads of unusual gifts, including locally made ones that feature a Lake District theme, like coasters with maps of the local area printed on them. 
• National Park Print Shop – An excellent art shop selling beautiful prints. Many are by local artists and/or are of iconic spots in the Lake District. If you have a gallery wall somewhere in your house, this is a must-do shop.
• Forget Me Not – Mainly homeware. Some nice cushions, candles, mirrors and that kind of thing. Always worth a browse.

There are definitely more I always pop into and there are always new ones opening up whenever I visit, so I’ll have to add to this over time. Happy spending.

3. Go wild buying unnecessary stuff in Lakeland and Booths

Okay, small independent shops aside, it would be a crime not to mention the double whammy of Lakeland and Booths as being one of the best things to do in Bowness. And they’re handily located next door to each other just outside the train station.

You know you’re getting old when the prospect of inspecting a DrySoon in real life is an exciting one. And if you don’t know what a DrySoon is, where have you been? Clearly not perusing the Lakeland website enough, that’s where. Lakeland, for the uninitiated, is where you go for all sorts of household stuff. If there’s a cleaning/cooking/baking/laundry problem, they will have thought of the solution. They have a great website and shops around the country, but the Windermere one is (I think) the biggest and also has a very good café. If you’re one of the many people lately who wish to replace their personality with an air fryer, Lakeland is the shop for you.

And if Lakeland wasn’t exciting enough, Bowness/Windermere also has a massive Booths. Now, this is less thrilling for me because I’ve always had a Booths fairly local to me. But I know that friends who live down south get very excited to visit a Booths when they’re up north. If you’re not lucky enough to be acquainted with Booths, it’s basically a very posh supermarket (WAY better than Waitrose and M&S) with a focus on local produce. So if you’re in self-catering, a Booths haul should be a non-negotiable.  

4. Visit the viewing station via the car ferry – one of the best things to do in Bowness without a car

If you’re doing Windermere on foot and by public transport, the car ferry (ironically) is going to be quite handy. At the time of writing, this has quite an erratic timetable and it’s best to check the ferry’s Twitter account for running information.

Get on it as a foot passenger for just £1 (return), and you can enjoy a ride across the mere and then walk up to the Claife Viewing Station. This is a pretty little stone structure with a window looking over the water and scenery beyond, framed by a stained-glass archway. It’s run by the National Trust and there’s a small café on site. You’ll notice a theme in the Lake District: you’re never more than about five metres from a café or tea room of some sort. Bliss.

5. Eat at some of Windermere and Bowness’s best restaurants

If there’s one thing I enjoy most when on my travels, it’s eating. And eating is definitely one of the easiest things to do in Bowness. There are some excellent restaurants and cafés in both towns, plus new ones opening up every time I go.

I can’t list them all or we’ll be here forever. But these are a handful that I really love. I’ve linked their names to their website/Facebook page (rather than to their Google Maps location) so you can see menus and whatnot. 

• Graze Cafe – A superb place for a veggie or vegan lunch in Bowness. It has a Japanese twist and given my Japan obsession, this makes me very happy. Everything is fresh. LOVE it.
• The Lamplighter Dining Rooms – General British menu with seasonal/local food. At first glance, the menu tends to be meaty but they do always have a veggie option. Look out for the counter from the shop in Ginger & Pickles by Beatrix Potter (one of her most underrated books IMO) in the entrance hall. Not many people know it’s there. You can also stay at the Lamplighter as it’s a hotel too.
• The Rookery Lakes – A proper vegetarian and vegan-friendly café just outside the Booths/Lakeland car park. Well worth walking up to for lunch and/or cake. Very much my kind of place. The baked sweet potatoes are 10/10. 
• Homeground Coffee + Kitchen – Brace yourself for this one because there’s always a queue. They do high-quality coffee (wasted on me as a tea drinker) but also good lunch options, including veggie ones. 

6. Have a beer or two in one of the cosy pubs and bars

We all love a cosy pub when doing a local UK break. I think Bowness’s Hole in t’Wall pub will especially appeal to my American readers, who love anything quaint and ‘olde worlde’. Think wooden beams, tankards hanging from the walls and an open fire. Perfect if you’re visiting on a cold winter’s day. They tend to have a few local guest beers on but principally it’s a Robinson’s brewery pub. This is a bit ironic for me: going all the way to the Lakes to drink beer I can get five minutes from where I live in Stockport! But a great pub anyway.

Although I know a lot of readers will be after a traditional pub like the above, I always like to recommend somewhere that serves proper craft beer in all of my travel guides. The best place for craft beer in Windermere/Bowness is without a shadow of a doubt The Crafty Baa Windermere (not to be confused with their sister site in Keswick). Inside, it’s full of quirky decor, which they built using mostly recycled/upcycled materials. They’re into eco-friendly ways and have some good vegan options on the menu. But the best thing is, instead of just serving CAMRA-style traditional real ale (not really my thing), they do an extensive menu of proper hoppy craft beer (very much my thing).

7. Find your childhood favourites at The World of Beatrix Potter

Okay, so if you’re a Beatrix Potter fan, I must warn you that this isn’t as good as going to her house at Hill Top (more on that further down this guide). But it’s still nice, plus it’s bang in the middle of Bowness and almost all indoors so it’s one of the few decent things to do in Bowness/the Lakes if the weather is seriously awful. 

The World of Beatrix Potter is a sort of museum/experience. They have really lovely models of the characters set in different scenes like Mr McGregor’s garden and Jemima Puddleduck’s woodland glade. Unfortunately, it is a bit aimed at children and can be full of them, so if you’re as allergic as I am it’s worth bearing that in mind. There’s a bit of history about Beatrix’s life and love of nature, plus an excellent gift shop.

The whole thing probably only takes 20 minutes, so for £9 each it’s fairly pricey but I think it’s ok if you’re a fan. You can just go straight into the shop for free if that’s all you want, though. 

8. Head out for some seriously good walks

Obviously, the main thing to do in the Lake District is walking.

I’m by no means a walking expert. There are some amazing walking websites that will be far more useful for anyone wanting to get stuck in. But I thought I’d share a few popular walks that start and end in Windermere/Bowness. Many of the best and most famous walks are further afield but I wanted to include some that you could do if you don’t have a car and/or you’re pushed for time.

There’s a good bus service so this does open up a lot more, but if you’re wanting to stick to the centre then here’s a handful of good ones. I’ve linked to the AllTrails website pages for each:

• Orrest Head Circular (4.5km) – this is probably the easiest and best-known walk you can do from Windermere itself. It’s an easy walk from the centre of town, taking in the view that made Alfred Wainwright fall in love with the Lakes.
• Brant Fell Circular (4.2km) – another short one starting in town. It leads up to fantastic views from the craggy tops of the fell.
• Windermere and Scholl Knott Circular (6.9km) – this takes you through some really good farmland and woodland, again with the highlight being the view from the top. 

Things to do near Bowness, within 15 minutes’ drive

9. Explore the beautiful Sizergh, near Kendal

Sizergh is my favourite National Trust house and garden in the Lake District area. It’s a medieval stately home, pretty much a castle, set in a whopping 1,600-acre estate. There’s a lake and beautiful gardens, surrounded by woodland and pastures to explore. Plenty of walking potential if you have good weather. 

Inside, the house is still lived in by the Strickland family so it’s a real home as well as being a piece of history. You can spot some lovely panelling in the rooms as well as locally made furniture by Gillow of Lancaster (which was mentioned in Jane Austen’s novels, for my fellow literary geeks).

Check the official Sizergh page for opening times before you visit, as they do vary throughout the year.

It’s around a 15-minute drive from Bowness.

10. See the brilliant Blackwell Arts and Crafts House, Bowness

If you like the Arts and Crafts style of design and architecture, add Blackwell to your list of things to do in Bowness. It has all the original features, furniture and decoration, and is a Grade 1 (the top category) listed building. It’s known as being the perfect example of the Arts and Crafts movement. Even as someone who isn’t particularly into the style (although I do love a William Morris print), it’s beautiful. 

Blackwell was originally built by the architect MH Baillie Scott as a holiday home for Edward Holt. That’s one of the Holt family of Joseph Holt’s Brewery fame: anyone from Manchester or the North West in general will know the beer. Clearly brewing all that tasteless beer didn’t affect his taste in interiors because it really is a gorgeous house. The fireplace tiles are the best thing, IMO. Keep a beady eye out for those. And check the official website for opening times, as they do change throughout the year.

It’s around a 10-minute drive from Bowness.

11. Sample a local beer or 10 at Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley

Amusingly not in Hawkshead but in the pretty village of Staveley, near Kendal, you’ll find Hawkshead Brewery. It does both traditional British and modern cask as well as various keg styles. All of it is good quality, and you should get a flight to try a few.

While you’re there, you can also pop into other up-and-coming places on the same trading estate. There’s an artisan bakery, café, bicycle shop and chocolatier. Once one nice artisan/craft thing pops up, others always follow. By the time I’ve published this guide, there’ll probably be even more.

Hawkshead Brewery is around a 10-minute drive from Bowness.

12. Find the unique bridge house, Ambleside

The teeny little Bridge House in Ambleside must be one of the Lake District’s best-known buildings. Or at least one of the most photographed. It’s basically what a house and a bridge would produce if they had a baby.

The quirky building spans Stock Beck, a beck (stream) running through the centre of Ambleside. It was built on this tiny bridge in order to avoid land tax, which just goes to show how long people have been behaving like Starbucks and Amazon.

Throughout history, the little house has had many uses, including being a shed for storing apples, a counting house for the mills, and allegedly a family home for eight people. Presumably they pushed each other into the beck on a regular basis…

Ambleside and the Bridge House are around a 10-minute drive from Bowness.

Things to do near Bowness, within 30 minutes’ drive

13. Look out for Peter Rabbit at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s house, Near Sawrey

As a child, I was a huge Beatrix Potter fan (okay, I still am as an adult). I read all of her books several times over and adored getting lost in her detailed illustrations of all the animals. 

Visiting her former home, Hill Top, is definitely one of the best things to do in the Lake District in my book. The house is kept as it was when she was alive, with all the rooms laid out as they were. It’s almost like she’s just popped out to the shops and will be back any minute. 

If you’re a Beatrix fan, you’ll know that many of her illustrations were copied from her real surroundings. So at Hill Top, you can see loads of the scenes. Look out for:

• the dolls’ house where the Two Bad Mice go feral and trash the place
• the gate where Peter Rabbit breaks and enters to gorge on lettuce when Mr MacGregor wasn’t looking
• (and for the real connoisseurs) the top of the staircase where Samuel Whiskers rolled the rolling pin.

I’ve been many times over the years and never tire of seeing these spots. There’s also plenty of information dotted around the rooms of Hill Top about her contribution to the Lake District beyond the books, such as breeding sheep and leaving her estate to the National Trust. The staff are very knowledgeable so you can pester them for more information about her life. Oh and there’s a shop where you can buy books, soft toys and all manner of bits and bobs.

Like any National Trust place, it’s best to check the opening times on the official site before you go to Hill Top.

It’s around a 30-minute drive from Bowness, including going on the car ferry across the mere. At the time of writing, this has quite an erratic timetable and it’s best to check the ferry’s Twitter account for running information.

14. Try some of the world-famous gingerbread and see Wordsworth’s grave, Grasmere

Grasmere is on everyone’s Lake District list as it’s such a beautiful little village, surrounded by fells.

Start your visit at the brilliant Heaton Cooper Art Studio and Mathilde’s Cafe for fantastic art and delicious food. Then head to Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread Shop. Grasmere gingerbread has been lapped up by visitors since 1854. Not by me though. I can’t stand the flavour of ginger. Soz, Sarah. But I do like visiting the shop and picking some up for friends/family who do enjoy the horrific substance. The little shop is in used to be the village school, where both William and Dorothy Wordsworth taught in the 19th century. Naturally, the staff still dress in bonnets and aprons, which adds to the experience. 

After visiting the shop, pop into St. Oswald’s churchyard (next door). This is where the Wordsworth family are buried under a yew tree, including William himself (who planted said tree) and his sister Dorothy. I studied some of her diaries at uni, so the first time I went I was just as interested to see her grave as Will’s. 

If you happen to be in the Lakes around 5 August (St Oswald’s Day), it’s worth timing your visit to Grasmere so that it falls on that day. This is when Grasmere does a ‘rushbearing’. This involves a procession through the village, with people dressed up, music from a marching band and so on. It ends at the church, with a ceremony where people lay fresh green rushes all over the floor, filling the building with a nice smell. Rushbearing is an ancient, pre-Christian tradition designed to keep the church fresh when it didn’t have a proper floor. Today, Grasmere is one of the very few places in England where rushbearing still happens. Don’t all rush at once.

Grasmere is around a 20-minute drive from Bowness.

15. Visit the pretty market town of Kirkby Lonsdale

Now, I’m not going to bang on too much about my favourite town in the entire Lake District here as I have a whole guide to things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale. And yes, it’s the best place. Way prettier than Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside or Grasmere (and any of the popular ones) IMO. Kirkby Lonsdale is the connoisseur’s choice.

If you like cute cobbled streets, quirky independent shops, and consuming your own body weight in food/beer, you’re going to love Kirkby Lonsdale. Set on the banks of the River Lune amid verdant countryside and rolling hills, this quaint town is almost unbelievably picture-perfect. But it’s not just a pretty face. It’s a real bustling little community, with loads going on. Every time I visit, there’s something new to take in and I love it more and more.

Anyway, go and read my Kirkby Lonsdale guide and let me know if you fall in love with it too.

It’s around a 30-minute drive from Bowness.

16. Pick up some bargains at Yew Tree Barn

You know how much I love a good rummage, and Yew Tree Barn is one of the best spots in the Lakes for this. It’s a two-storey building with a gift shop and excellent café (Harry’s) downstairs, and a vintage and antique shop upstairs. Outside is a reclamation yard, so if you’re after something like a bird bath for the garden, it’s worth a look.

The gift shop is my main draw, though. They do nice artificial flowers and plants, coffee-table books, a good selection of unusual birthday cards, and all kinds of homewares. There’s also a selection of local craft beer on the shelves just outside the café. Oh and I’ve not been in the run-up to Christmas but I’ve heard their decorations and festive bits are an absolute treat.

Yew Tree Barn is around a 25-minute drive from Bowness.

17. See the world’s oldest topiary garden at Levens Hall 

Levens Hall is another of my top picks in this whole list, tbh. Do not miss it, especially on a sunny day. I don’t think it’s as well known as other gardens around the Lake District but it’s such a perfect day out. 

Levens has the oldest topiary garden in the world, created in 1694. That’s a Guinness World Record claim to fame, so be impressed. I’m into gardening and gardens, but I’m only usually interested in colourful cottage gardens rather than greenery, even when said greenery is cut into exciting shapes. But the topiary at Levens is done in a way where it fits beautifully against the backdrop of the house and softer border planting, so I adore it. Walk around the gardens and take it all in. There’s a lovely orchard at the end of the garden. Keep an eye out for jars of the ‘head gardener’s honey’, which are usually left out with an honesty box. 

Even if the gorgeous gardens didn’t exist, Levens Hall would be worth a visit just for its café. This has one of the best menus in the Lakes, with really nice and fairly healthy lunch options. There are plenty of vegan/veggie options; I like the roasted cauliflower with dahl or the beetroot and goat’s cheese salad. And of course, there are homemade cakes, which you can buy to take away.

I’ve banged on about Levens Hall loads now and not even mentioned that you can also go into the beautiful Elizabethan house and that there’s a gift shop. Anyway, just go. But check their website for prices and opening times, as these vary throughout the year.

It’s around a 20-minute drive from Bowness.

18. Treat yourself to afternoon tea, Grange-over-Sands

Writing about homemade cakes just then has reminded me that I must include my favourite afternoon tea in the Lake District. I think afternoon tea is a must-do on any Lake District trip, especially if you’re burning calories going on lots of walks. And one of the best options is the Hazelmere Café and Bakery, in Grange-over-Sands.

The Hazelmere does loads of classic lunch dishes like toasties, pies, salads, potted shrimp on muffins and so on. But really it’s all about their afternoon tea. At the time of writing, this is just under £20 a head, so not the cheapest but you do get a good spread. There are posh little butties, scones with clotted cream and their homemade blackcurrant and gin jam, plus a selection of cakes. You can choose from a massive selection of tea to wash it down (this is a bit lost on me as a builder’s tea drinker). All of it is well presented and beautifully done. The café itself isn’t pretentious or overly fussy, just a proper cosy café.

Oh and you can go and see the ducks on the pond just over the road once you’ve finished eating. 

Grange-over-Sands is around a 30-minute drive from Bowness.

19. Enjoy the estuarial town of Arnside

Arnside was another of my childhood favourites to visit in the Lake District, alongside Kirkby Lonsdale. Park up overlooking the estuary to watch the train go across the bridge while wading birds pick through the shore. This can also be accompanied by fish and chips from Arnside Chippy if you fancy.

One of the best things to do in Arnside is the circular walk around Arnside Knott, a National-Trust-owned wooded hill with great views. This is one of the nicest short walks in the area, taking about two hours but packing in loads of things to see. Look out for a ‘giraffe tree’, a pair of trees that were knotted together for a wedding around 1860, as well as great views across Silverdale and Morecambe Bay and lots of wildlife.

The village of Arnside is only small but has some really decent shops. The one I always spend the longest in is The Pier Gallery. They sell original pieces and prints by local artists, including ones of many surrounding towns and nature spots. If you want a souvenir to remember your trip by, this would be ideal. It’s also good for stocking up on birthday or blank cards. Art aside, there’s an excellent vintage shop called Homeleigh Vintage, a gift shop called The Coast Office and a second-hand higher-end clothes shop called She Sells. Not bad for a small town, and that’s just my selection of them.

Arnside is around a 30-minute drive from Bowness.

20. Look for fairies at the Fairy Steps, Beetham

I’m annoyed that I don’t have a photo of these legendary stone steps, so you’ll just have to go and see them yourself once you’ve become intrigued by the history and mystery around them…

The narrow stone staircase of the Fairy Steps, just outside the village of Beetham, is set between two rock faces. It was originally part of one of the Lake District’s ‘coffin trails’: a shortcut to transport corpses from Arnside up to the graveyard at Beetham (before Arnside got its own church). You can still see the iron rings along the passageway, which they’d thread ropes through to haul the coffins up. Cheerful.

So where do the fairies come into it? Legend has it that if you descend the steps without touching the rocks on either side, said fairies will grant you one wish. This would be quite an achievement as the staircase is only about 30cm wide in some places. Breathe in, give it a go and let me know in the comments if the wish comes true…

Side note: if your wish happens to be for a nice pub meal and a pint, head straight to the lovely Wheatsheaf pub in the village of Beetham. Wish granted.

Beetham is around a 30-minute drive from Bowness.

21. Put your photography skills to use at Tarn Hows

Technically, Tarn Hows should come under the short walks section I wrote earlier as it’s mainly a walking spot (proper accessible and flat, too). But it’s such a good place for getting beautiful photos that I wanted to write about it separately.

It’s almost like Tarn Hows was designed for photographers, it’s so picture-perfect. But it was actually made for providing water to a sawmill. A former owner of the land, James Marshall, turned what were three natural tarns (not lakes, of course) into a new body of water for powering his mill in Coniston. He had big ideas for the design around it too, planting larch and spruce in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Don’t be put off that it’s artificial. Tarn Hows is very much a part of the Lake District. Even the Queen of the Lake District, Beatrix Potter herself, came to own Tarn Hows at one point, later bequeathing it to the National Trust in her will. It’s one of the most picturesque bodies of water in the Lakes and beautiful from about 27 million different angles, so make sure you have a full camera/phone battery.

Also, look out for the Belted Galloway cows who are currently doing a brilliant job of grazing the land; they come from Dumfries & Galloway, which is another of my favourite UK areas.

Tarn Hows is around a 25-minute drive from Bowness.

22. Explore the hidden gem of Witherslack

Witherslack is yet another of my childhood favourites in the Lake District. I used to ride at the equestrian centre there, which has sadly closed down recently, and I fell in love with the scenery I found while hacking.

If you want some spectacular views and a good pub lunch/tea (hello, Derby Arms), you could do a lot worse than an afternoon around Witherslack. It’s a tiny, spread out village, with no shops or anything like that, just lots of incredible scenery. It’s far from the well-trodden tourist areas of the Lakes.

The main thing to do in Witherslack is walking, and there are loads of routes. One of the best for a first visit is the Whitbarrow Scar Circular. Look out for the gorgeous big houses with a stream/pond outside them. I’ve had my eye on one of those for about 20 years.

Witherslack is around a 25-minute drive from Bowness.

23. Ride the steam train on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway

No UK holiday is complete, in my view, without some kind of heritage railway journey. The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railways is a popular one, but worth doing if you’re in the Lakes out of season. It can be busy and full of children in summer, so best to avoid then.

Check the official website for a timetable. It costs £10 for a return ticket, which takes you along the 5km-long line from Haverthwaite via Newby Bridge to Lakeside, which is at the southern end of Windermere. The journey is about 20 minutes each way. And, of course, there’s a tearoom at the station. How could there not be?

It’s around a 20-minute drive from Bowness.

Things to do near Bowness, over 30 minutes’ drive

If you’re using Windermere/Bowness as a base, you don’t want to be spending hours driving around. Some places in the Lakes are deffo better to visit on another trip when you’re staying nearer to them. So here are two of my top picks of the slightly further afield places to visit. Apologies to everything I missed like Scafell Pike, Ullswater, Coniston and even the legendary Derwent Pencil Museum (to name a few).

24. Explore the foodie village of Cartmel

Cartmel is one of the prettiest villages in the Lake District. It’s mainly known for being the unofficial foodie capital of the Lake District.

You’ll probably have heard of the famous L’Enclume restaurant, with its Michelin star, run by chef Simon Rogan. He also has a more informal gastropub in the village, called Rogan & Co. But there’s also the Cartmel Village Shop, home of the famous Cartmel Stucky Toffee Pudding. This, like gingerbread, is another Lake District dessert-type thing that I don’t like, I’m afraid. But I’m assured by sticky toffee pudding fans that it’s the best in the world. The shop sells plenty of other local and artisan food and drink, too. For lunch or cake, you’ve got Cartmel Coffee and The Mallard Tea Shop. Both are lovely.

Food aside, one of the best shops in the Lakes for knick-knacks and nice little bits is in Cartmel. It’s called Perfect English and the last time I was there, I bought the most amazing pair of earrings. I could have bought the entire shop, TBH.

The church, Cartmel Priory, is also worth a look inside. 

It’s just over a 30-minute drive from Bowness.

25. Go to a beautiful open garden day at Gresgath Hall, Caton

I thought I’d end this list of things to do in Bowness and the Lake District on a good’un, and maybe one that isn’t as well known as others.

Gresgarth Hall gardens have been curated for decades by professional garden designer, Arabella Lennox-Boyd, who owns the house and garden. She’s also got connections to Italy, so the garden has a really dreamy Italian touch, as well as plenty of traditional English vibes. It’s about 10 acres and absolutely beautiful, like something out of a painting (as you can see in my photo). I could easily live there.

The open garden day at Gresgarth Hall only runs once a month, always on a Sunday. You can check the times on the official website. It’s £12 to get in, which isn’t cheap but it’s absolutely gorgeous. There’s often a plant sale outside too, which means you get to spend even more money on plants to take home, which I think has to be one of my fave hobbies.

It’s around a 35-minute drive from Bowness.

Things to do in Bowness and the Lake District – useful information for your trip

Where to stay in Bowness and further afield in the Lakes

I’ve written this guide for people using Windermere/Bowness as their base, so I’ll include several tips for where to stay there below. But I’ve also included a few alternative locations, in case you fancy going somewhere different. All prices are correct at the time of writing, and yes I’m afraid it is a very expensive part of the UK. Apologies to your bank balance.

In Windermere and Bowness, try these:

• Puddle Duck Lodge, Bowness – For around £120 a night, this lovely B&B in the centre of Bowness would be a great option. As a bonus, it’s adults-only.
• Craigholme, Bowness – At around £90 a night, this B&B is one of the only places that ever comes up for under £100 a night in Bowness and Windermere. It’s well rated and well located.
• Cedar Manor, Windermere – For about £220 a night, this is somewhere for a special occasion or if you just want to treat yourself. Way of out my budget but look how gorgeous it is. 

For other places, I recommend:

• The Hare & Hounds, Levens – For around £120 a night, this beautifully decorated pub is excellent. I stayed there on my last visit to the Lakes, when many of these photos were taken. It’s a great base and more off the beaten path.
• The Red Dragon Inn, Kirkby Lonsdale – For about £95 a night, you can stay at this nice inn in my favourite town of Kirkby Lonsdale.
• The Cavendish Arms, Cartmel – At about £90 a night for a small double, this would be a good option if you want to be based in the foodie haven of Cartmel.

How to get around Bowness and the Lakes

This guide is based on having a car, because that’s how most of my readers do the Lake District (I asked!). However, there’s a surprisingly excellent bus service if you’re staying in Bowness, which you can explore on the Stagecoach website. And of course you can get to Windermere itself by train.

If you do want a car to get around, it’s perfectly doable to arrive by train and get a hire car once you’re there, which may be slightly less bad for the environment too.

When to go to Bowness and the Lakes

There’s no denying that the Lake District gets busy, especially in summer and around Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside and all those popular spots.

Going out of the busy season is definitely advisable: April and May tend to be nice, or September and October. There’s also a lot to be said for braving it into autumn and winter. Cosy pubs and bracing walks are more enjoyable without the crowds.

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