Windermere
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Things to do:
take a drive along Wrynose and Hardknott pass, take a trip on the Ratty train, grab some food in a local pub
Drive
Rent a small electric boat at Bowness bay and have a little ride around he lake
take a cruise on one of the ferry boats down to Lakeside, have a wander around the aquarium, take the steam train to Haverthwaite
Drive over the Kirkstone pass and visit Glenridding , climb Helvellyn, drink beer in a local afterwards or keep on going until you get to Aira Force , take a stroll
Have a wander around some of the villages close by- Ambleside, Grasmere - buy some gingerbread or other ‘ginger’ related stuff
Buy local chocolates - there’s a few shops - Friars (ambleside & keswick) and Huttons (bowness on Windermere) I always buy chocs when I visit
Have a day in Keswick - eat cow pie - fish and chips from the Keswickian - loads of places to drive or walk around there -Newlands pass to Buttermere or down the Borrowdale Valley then go up the Honnister pass at Seatoller - visit the skate mine or do the Via Ferrara, the drive down to Buttermere - keep going past Buttermere village and past Crummock water , drive back towards Keswick along the Whinlatter pass , take a walk around the forest or do ‘Go Ape’(also a Go Ape near Windermere)
Can’t help with food much as I tend to go to Jintana Thai restaurant each time I’m there but there’s loads of decent places , I did once have Afternoon Tea outside at the Laura Ashley hotel overlooking the lake , was pretty good but if there’s a wedding on they probably won’t be open to the public
take a drive along Wrynose and Hardknott pass, take a trip on the Ratty train, grab some food in a local pub
Drive
Rent a small electric boat at Bowness bay and have a little ride around he lake
take a cruise on one of the ferry boats down to Lakeside, have a wander around the aquarium, take the steam train to Haverthwaite
Drive over the Kirkstone pass and visit Glenridding , climb Helvellyn, drink beer in a local afterwards or keep on going until you get to Aira Force , take a stroll
Have a wander around some of the villages close by- Ambleside, Grasmere - buy some gingerbread or other ‘ginger’ related stuff
Buy local chocolates - there’s a few shops - Friars (ambleside & keswick) and Huttons (bowness on Windermere) I always buy chocs when I visit
Have a day in Keswick - eat cow pie - fish and chips from the Keswickian - loads of places to drive or walk around there -Newlands pass to Buttermere or down the Borrowdale Valley then go up the Honnister pass at Seatoller - visit the skate mine or do the Via Ferrara, the drive down to Buttermere - keep going past Buttermere village and past Crummock water , drive back towards Keswick along the Whinlatter pass , take a walk around the forest or do ‘Go Ape’(also a Go Ape near Windermere)
Can’t help with food much as I tend to go to Jintana Thai restaurant each time I’m there but there’s loads of decent places , I did once have Afternoon Tea outside at the Laura Ashley hotel overlooking the lake , was pretty good but if there’s a wedding on they probably won’t be open to the public
Caporegime
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Which Jintana Thai restaurant? There are 2 apparently.
yeah one is in Ambleside and the other Bowness on Windermere, both owned by the same company , they’re only about a 10 minute drive between them
I’ve been to both and they were both pretty much the same , I found the Ambleside one more comfortable but have been to the Bowness one more often because we just seem to spend more time in that area
There’s also a couple more Thai restaurants next to the one in Bowness , we tried one of them ‘Siam Thai’ and my missus (a Thai ) gave it a big thumbs down but I found it ok, the other we haven’t tried yet but it’s not been there long
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I was going to ask which one is more authentic, I’m going to take someone who is half Thai there next month in the area and after a week in the UK I think she’ll be dying for some rice dishes so surprising her with something familiar would be good.
Which one does your missus prefer?
probably the one in Bowness but the food was pretty much the same, my wife is very particular about Thai food and it has to be very authentic , the last time she wasn’t impressed with the Pad Thai she ordered
I’ve always enjoyed the food there although there’s far better places but they’re in other cities
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Oooh, we are also going to Edinburgh, Bath, York and Oxford…are they in any of those? lol
Unfortunately not , but there is a couple of places we’ve been to , Zaap Thai in York is a small chain restaurant and the food there is pretty decent , it’s also decorated to give it a bit of a faux casual Thai street restaurant look
in Edinburgh there’s a place called Thantawan , it’s more of a small takeaway with a few seats but the food was good , it’s been a few years since we last went though
There’s also Rosa’s Thai Cafe in Edinburgh , another chain and food is ok but it’s not a favourite as unlike most of the ones I’ve mentioned the staff are not typically Thai nationals in the ones weve been to
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Will try to avoid chains, chains are seldom authentic. Takeaway might work, I am still looking at accommodation at the moment in Edinburgh so if I end up booking a small flat then that would be fine. Going to travel with a rice cooker to save money on rice lol
Tbh Zaap Thai is pretty decent and my missus always wants to go to one if there’s one close by , it’s not totally authentic but it’s better than many indies I’ve been to, I think the best one for authentic food is Khao Gaeng on Oxford St in London and Khun Pakin in Hammersmith , 2 of her faves
Also Manchester has a really nice small Thai restaurant that we both really like and the prices are great , I forget the name now but it’s our go-to when in that area
In addition to JBUK, things fairly local to do:
1. The motor museum at Backbarrow is worth a visit.. (And dog friendly)
2. For something OK to eat around Backbarrow, the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge is nice, parking is a git, you pay a fortune but get it reimbursed at the brasserie or pub (they are dog friendly)
3. we used to Park at Haverthwaite stream railway station and get a train/boat combo ticket to go from Haverthwaite to lakeside on the Train and then switch to the boat over to Bowness (just don't disembark at that point) then head off on the boat to Ambleside, spend some time doing Ambleside, I can recommend the Apple Pie cafe at the top of Ambleside, it's dog friendly and the food is decent, then do the boat/train back to Haverthwaite where your car is waiting!
4. Cartmel is worth a visit, especially if a foodie, they have the michelin starred restaurant and brasserie.. the Priory is unfortunately not dog friendly, which is a shame as it's worth a look around. Their is also Holker Hall not too far away which is good for walking the dog/having a look around a nicely maintained estate.
5. Grange over sands is OK if you want to waste some time, park down by the sea front and you can walk along the promenade area and back, there are small cafe's along the route, and there are a few more cafe's down the bottom end of Grange over sands, most are dog friendly.
6. Grasmere of course, well worth a trip, and I love the gingerbread (although not to everyone's taste!)
7. Keswick is OK, but a bit more of a drive and ultimately more about the shops, but it's quite dog friendly.
8. Bowness itself, if you walk around Glebe road, it has many pubs/cafes etc, down the back, on the waterfront is the Boardwalk bar and grill, this is a passably OK place for a meal and they are dog friendly.
9. The Flying Pig in the middle of Bowness is a nice pub with good food, if a bit packed at times.
10. Windermere itself has plenty of cafe's and places to eat, unfortunately I've had variable results since it's quite a tourist hotspot, but have eaten at 75% of the tripadvisor top 10 (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g186330-Windermere_Lake_District_Cumbria_England.html)
11. Coniston is worth a visit (its the other side of the lake!), park either in the centre (it's a small place!) or by the lake, there is a nice enough cafe by the lake that is popular and dog friendly..
12. If over that side of the lake, stop in Hawkshead (its not far from the ferry), plenty of small dog friendly cafes.
13. Wider affield, Ulverston is up and coming, more cafes and restaurants opening and its slowly getting an evening 'vibe'..
14. The White Hart at Bouth is a nice basic pub with good food and is dog friendly.
There is a lot to do if you know the area, I lived there as a child for a while (Backbarrow) and we go back most years since the family love it.. however I know my way around very well, so know how to chase the weather and where the locals frequent.
1. The motor museum at Backbarrow is worth a visit.. (And dog friendly)
2. For something OK to eat around Backbarrow, the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge is nice, parking is a git, you pay a fortune but get it reimbursed at the brasserie or pub (they are dog friendly)
3. we used to Park at Haverthwaite stream railway station and get a train/boat combo ticket to go from Haverthwaite to lakeside on the Train and then switch to the boat over to Bowness (just don't disembark at that point) then head off on the boat to Ambleside, spend some time doing Ambleside, I can recommend the Apple Pie cafe at the top of Ambleside, it's dog friendly and the food is decent, then do the boat/train back to Haverthwaite where your car is waiting!
4. Cartmel is worth a visit, especially if a foodie, they have the michelin starred restaurant and brasserie.. the Priory is unfortunately not dog friendly, which is a shame as it's worth a look around. Their is also Holker Hall not too far away which is good for walking the dog/having a look around a nicely maintained estate.
5. Grange over sands is OK if you want to waste some time, park down by the sea front and you can walk along the promenade area and back, there are small cafe's along the route, and there are a few more cafe's down the bottom end of Grange over sands, most are dog friendly.
6. Grasmere of course, well worth a trip, and I love the gingerbread (although not to everyone's taste!)
7. Keswick is OK, but a bit more of a drive and ultimately more about the shops, but it's quite dog friendly.
8. Bowness itself, if you walk around Glebe road, it has many pubs/cafes etc, down the back, on the waterfront is the Boardwalk bar and grill, this is a passably OK place for a meal and they are dog friendly.
9. The Flying Pig in the middle of Bowness is a nice pub with good food, if a bit packed at times.
10. Windermere itself has plenty of cafe's and places to eat, unfortunately I've had variable results since it's quite a tourist hotspot, but have eaten at 75% of the tripadvisor top 10 (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g186330-Windermere_Lake_District_Cumbria_England.html)
11. Coniston is worth a visit (its the other side of the lake!), park either in the centre (it's a small place!) or by the lake, there is a nice enough cafe by the lake that is popular and dog friendly..
12. If over that side of the lake, stop in Hawkshead (its not far from the ferry), plenty of small dog friendly cafes.
13. Wider affield, Ulverston is up and coming, more cafes and restaurants opening and its slowly getting an evening 'vibe'..
14. The White Hart at Bouth is a nice basic pub with good food and is dog friendly.
There is a lot to do if you know the area, I lived there as a child for a while (Backbarrow) and we go back most years since the family love it.. however I know my way around very well, so know how to chase the weather and where the locals frequent.
Caporegime
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What I wanna ask and don't understand is that these boat trips...how am I supposed to get back to my car?
Do they go back to the starting point?
The steam railway from Haverthwaite was really good and we took a boat across to Bowness. Great day out for the kids. There’s a good playground at Haverthwaite station as well.
Greenodd has a great fish and chip shop and also an excellent cafe and bakery if you’re passing through.
Greenodd has a great fish and chip shop and also an excellent cafe and bakery if you’re passing through.
Yes, the way they are structured is your ticket can be seen as a day ticket allowing you either a single leg return or the entire lake return.
The end points are Lakeside, Bowness and Ambleside.. so you can always get back to your starting point.. a single leg is Lakeside -> Bowness or Bowness -> Ambleside
But you can get a ticket covering Lakeside->Bowness-.Ambleside (and back again in any order).
The Train, if wanting to add that in as well does Haverthwaite to Lakeside and back again, where the boats start and is also a day ticket..
For a hectic/full day, you can park in Haverthwaite train station all day, buy an all day combo ticket and then grab an early train to lakeside, jump on the boat to Bowness, and either look around Bowness or carry on (sometimes you have to change boats at Bowness, sometimes you just stay onboard and they go there next) to Ambleside, look around, then later in the day grab the boat from Ambleside to Bowness, and then Bowness to Lakeside, then jump on the train back to the car park..
The train is a proper old steam and our kids loved it, even the dog found it an experience..
Greenodd is also a really popular fishing spot, we used to catch flounder from the bank, but thanks for the info, I’ve not stopped there for years and might do next time (We are staying in Bowness in July)
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Ah okay, just checked their website, looks like the boats are quite frequent. I am there for 2 nights, different accommodations though (but close to each other), so probably going to to go on Day 2 when I check out of first hotel, then do a tour of the lake, then go check in at the evening at the 2nd hotel after dinner.
https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares
Can I get a ticket on the day or should i pre-book?
(Wish these sites have a map and draw a route for you) Just checked on Goolge maps, was really hoping I don't double back on myself but it seems I have to.
Where is it best to Start/Finish? I don't think I have time for a full ride on the lake so will just go between Haverthwaite - Lakeside - Browness (and back again) or should I Start/Finish in Browness? Which place has easier parking or more to do?
Looks like I just need a return ticket for this route.
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Generally we start / park at Haverthwaite for the day as they have a large car park just for the station, then train to Lakeside, boat to Bowness, walk around Bowness, then do the return leg.. Trying to do Ambleside on the same day is a rush, so we usually drive to Ambleside and park near the lake on another day.
All places sell combo tickets and we always buy on the day, you can get Train -> Bowness return or if you are brave, Train -> Ambleside return
The best parking places (i.e. largest car parks) for Bowness/Ambleside if wanting explore for a length of time are also listed on the railway site.. We usually head for these during busy periods as they have the highest chances of finding a space.
Park, Rail & Sail - The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
www.lakesiderailway.co.uk
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Caporegime
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Generally we start / park at Haverthwaite for the day as they have a large car park just for the station, then train to Lakeside, boat to Bowness, walk around Bowness, then do the return leg.. Trying to do Ambleside on the same day is a rush, so we usually drive to Ambleside and park near the lake on another day.
All places sell combo tickets and we always buy on the day, you can get Train -> Bowness return or if you are brave, Train -> Ambleside return
The best parking places (i.e. largest car parks) for Bowness/Ambleside if wanting explore for a length of time are also listed on the railway site.. We usually head for these during busy periods as they have the highest chances of finding a space.
Park, Rail & Sail - The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
www.lakesiderailway.co.uk
Fantastic, looks like driving to Haverthwaite then get return ticket on the day it is!