Info Panel
Village: Bowness on Windermere
OS grid ref: SD403969
Coordinates: 54° 21′ 51.84″ N, 2° 55′ 5.16″ W
Nearest lake/tarn: Lake Windermere
Nearest mountain/fell: Brant Fell
Bowness on Windermere
Bowness on Windermere located on the Eastern shore line of Lake Windermere, about a mile and a half from Windermere, a very popular tourist destination that provides water activities such as rowing boat hire, chug chug boats and lake cruises. Biskey Howe is an excellent viewing point to look out over the village and admire the hills and mountains on the other side of Lake Windermere.
Bowness on Windermere has a promenade which provides a lakes edge walk of about a mile with attarctions along the way, ice cream huts, amusements arcade and shops and eating establishments catering to the visitor and holiday maker this area is known as Bowness Bay. Bowness on Windermere started to grow after the introduction of the railway tracks from Oxenholme Station in Kendal which was around 1847, the nearest station to Bowness on Windermere is Windermere Station which is about 1.5 miles, 2.4 kms away, which equates to a 15 minutes walk or a 5 minute drive.
Bowness on Windermere has much to offer the visitor, the town has many old building from the Victorian era, wealthy Lancastrians had built large homes for themselves during the 19th century, many of which are now popular hotels or have been turned into National Parks Authority properties, Brockhole visitor center is a good example. Bowness Pier the home of Windermere Lake Cruises, a company on the esplanade that takes visitors up and down Lake Windermere on crusies between Bowness, Lakeside, at the Southern end, Waterhead at the Northern end on Lake Windermere, there’s even an Island cruise which takes a tour around the many islands including the main island called Belle Isle.
The World of Beatrix Potter Exhibition is a very popular tourist attraction, people from as far away as Japan and Australia have this as a must see for their visit, they also visit Hill Top, the Lakeland Farm that inspired plenty of Bearix Potter’s illustrations. Windermere car ferry connects Bowness to the Western shore line of Lake Windermere, making towns like Near Sawrey, Far Sawrey and Hawkshead easily reachable, they also allow bicycles and foot passengers many of them wanting to walk the footpaths around Claife Heights.
St Martin’s church, the parish church of Bowness, built in 1483 and restored in 1870 to make it bigger is one of the most interesting buildings in Bowness and well worth a visit to look inside, between the church and the lake lies the oldest part of the village known as Lowside, narrow streets giving you a feeling of what life must have been like before the arrival of the railway and tourism.
Main Tourist Towns
Windermere Bowness on Windermere Ambleside Coniston Hawkshead Keswick
All Towns & Villages
Lake District Categories
Northern Lake District Southern Lake District Western Lake District Eastern Lake District
Lake District Lakes and Waters
Lake Windermere Coniston Water Derwent Water Ullswater