Boat Tour 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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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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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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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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