Activities in Lake District
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Windermere Lake Cruises
Top on the list of things to do in Windermere is to take a lake cruise. The first passenger ferry was launched back in 1845, and cruising on the lake is still a popular pastime: some of the vessels are modern, but there are a couple of period beauties dating back to the 1930s.
All cruises allow you to jump off at one of the ferry landings (Waterhead/Ambleside, Wray Castle, Brockhole, Bowness, Ferry Landing, Fell Foot Ferry and Lakeside) and catch a later boat back.
* Freedom of the Lake Ticket (adult/child/family £17.75/8.90/48.50) One day's unlimited travel on all routes.
* Blue Cruise (adult/child/family £7.20/3.60/19.80) 45-minute cruise around Windermere's islands and…
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Keswick Launch
Derwentwater is undoubtedly one of the Lake District's most attractive lakes, and remained a lifelong favourite of Beatrix Potter.The lake jetties are a short stroll south of town, next to the fields of Crow Park. Boats putter out to landing stages at Ashness Gate, Lodore Falls, High Brandlehow, Low Brandlehow, Hawse End, Nichol End. Departures run clockwise and anticlockwise; you can get off and walk to the next stage if you wish. Single fares to each jetty are also available
There are six daily boats from March to November, with a couple of extra afternoon sailings and a twilight cruise in summer. There are only two sailings a day in winter.
Rowboats (£12 per hour) and…
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Lakeland walks
The town makes an excellent base for many well-known Lakeland walks. One of the most popular trails is the easy-going woodland stroll up to Stock Ghyll Force, a 60ft waterfall plunging into a narrow canyon. For something more strenuous, you could try the hour-long ascent to the top of Wansfell, followed by a two-hour return trip via Jenkins Crag, with views across to Coniston and the Langdale Pikes. Serious hikers are spoilt for choice - several classic circuits start from Ambleside, including the 10-mile Fairfield Horseshoe via Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Fairfield and Dove Crag.
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Coniston Launch
A more contemporary way to get around the lake is aboard Coniston's two modern launches, which have been solar-powered since 2005.
There are two routes: the 45-minute Northern service calls at the Waterhead Hotel, Torver and Brantwood, while the 105-minute Southern service sails to the jetties at Torver, Water Park, Lake Bank, Sunny Bank and Brantwood via Peel Island. You can break your journey and walk to the next jetty. There are between five and nine daily trips depending on the time of year.
As with the Gondola, commentated cruises on the Campbell story (adult/child £12/6; 4.40pm Tuesday) and Swallows & Amazons (£12.90/6.45; 4.40pm Wednesday). These cruises usually…
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Walking
The popular climb to the summit of the Old Man (7½ miles, four to five hours) starts at St Andrew's Church in Coniston. On a clear day the views stretch to the Cumbrian coast and Windermere. Another walk from St Andrew's Church climbs through picturesque countryside to Tarn Hows, an artificial lake backed by woods and mountains. Allow 2½ to three hours for the 5-mile walk. The tourist office has leaflets on both walks.
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Gondola
Rescued from dereliction by the NT, the steam yacht Gondola, described by the Illustrated London News as 'a perfect combination of the Venetian gondola and the English steam yacht', was launched on Coniston Water in 1859. The luxurious saloons have been completely refurbished, and the boat runs like clockwork between Brantwood and Coniston Pier.
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Low Wood Watersports & Activity Centre
The brand-new Low Wood Watersports & Activity Centre offers all kinds of ways to get out on the lake, including rowing boats, kayaks and canoes, wayfarer sailing boats and outboard motor boats. It also offers sailing, water-skiing and wakeboarding tuition and a climbing wall.
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Keswick Climbing Wall & Activity Centre
Keswick Climbing Wall & Activity Centre, behind the Pencil Museum, organises outdoor activities including canoeing, abseiling, rock climbing and cycling.
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Summitreks
Arranges outdoor activities and hires out walking gear, as well as kayaks and canoes.
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Nichol End Marine
Nichol End Marine hires out kayaks, windsurfers, rowboats and motor-boats.
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Ambleside/Bowness to Haverthwaite Steam Railway
Ambleside/Bowness to Haverthwaite Steam Railway
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Whinlatter Forest Park
Encompassing 1200 hectares of pine, larch and spruce, Whinlatter is England's only true mountain forest, rising sharply to 790m about 5 miles from Keswick. The forest is a designated red squirrel reserve; you can check out live video feeds from squirrel cams at the visitor centre.
It's also home to two exciting mountain-bike trails and the Go Ape tree-top assault course. Bikes can be hired from Cyclewise, next to the visitor centre, which also runs regular skills sessions and training courses.
Mountain bikes can be also hired from Keswick Mountain Bikes. Their road-specific shop is above the Lakeland Pedlar Cafe in Keswick.
Bus 77 (four daily) runs to the visitor centre from…
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Rookin House
This excellent outdoors centre offers unusual activities such as archery, clay-pigeon shooting, climbing, horse riding and off-road driving. You can even turn yourself into a human bowling ball.
The centre is 3 miles north of Ullswater on the A5091.
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Mountain Goat
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Keswick Mountain Bikes
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Helvellyn
Along with Scafell Pike, this challenging hike is the one everyone wants to do. The classic ascent takes in the twin ridges of Striding and Swirral Edge, which are spectacular but very exposed, and involve some scrambling and dizzyingly steep drops on either side - if you're at all nervous of heights, Helvellyn in probably not the fell for you.
The usual routes climb up through Glenridding or Patterdale. As usual, check the weather forecast and take all the necessary supplies.
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Glenridding Sailing Centre
The lake's main sailing centre hires out canoes (£15/40 for 1/3 hours, £65 for full-day), kayaks (£10/25 for 1/3 hours) and a range of sailboats and dinghies (£70 to £110 per day).
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Fell Walks
Keswick has a wealth of local walks. The most popular is the family-friendly fell of Catbells (451m), on the lake's west side; the trailhead starts next to the jetty at Hawse End, served by the Keswick Launch.
Hardcore hikers will prefer the more challenging slog up Skiddaw (931m), the huge mountain that looms on Keswick's northern skyline. To the north east of town near Threlkeld, Blencathra (868m) is an equally challenging proposition.
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Boat & Train
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Boat & Aquarium
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Steam Yacht Gondola
Built in 1859 and restored in the 1980s by the National Trust, this wonderful steam yacht looks like a cross between a Venetian vaporetto and an English houseboat, complete with cushioned saloons and polished wood seats. It's a stately way of seeing the lake, especially if you're visiting Brantwood, and it's even ecofriendly: since 2008 it's been powered by waste wood.
There are five trips daily from mid-March to October. Longer 'Explorer' cruises covering Ransome, the Campbells and Ruskin run at 2pm on Mondays and Thursdays (adult/child £19.90/9.90). There's also a 'Wild Cat Island' cruise on Mondays at 2pm (£19.90/9.90). There's a 10% discount for online bookings.
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Low Wood Watersports
Experienced and well-equipped watersports centre offering waterskiing, sailing and kayaking. Rowboats and motorboats are also available for hire.
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Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
Originally built to carry ore, timber and other industrial goods to the ports at Ulverston and Barrow, these vintage steam trains now puff their way between Haverthwaite, near Ulverston, to Newby Bridge and Lakeside. There are between five and seven trains a day depending on the season, handily timed to correspond with the Windermere cruise boats.
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Fell Hikes
Ambleside makes a good base for hikes; the tourist office has a good selection of trail leaflets and guidebooks.
The most popular walk is the half-hour stroll up to the 60ft waterfall of Stock Ghyll Force; the trail is signposted behind the old Market Hall at the bottom of Stock Ghyll Lane.
From the falls, you can hike on across the top of Wansfell (487m/1597ft), which affords a stunning panorama across Windermere, before looping back via Troutbeck, Skelghyll Wood, and the Jenkin's Crag viewpoint. In total, it's a walk of around 6 miles.
A more formidable proposition is the 10-mile Fairfield Horseshoe, via the summits of Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Fairfield and Dove Crag. It's a…
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Coniston Boating Centre
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