Windermere in the Lakes District

Posted on August 26, 2009 - Filed Under Travel

Windermere in the Lakes District of England, is England’s the largest of the natural lakes in the country. Beginning in 1847, the people of the country began swarming the banks of the shores on family holiday, either camping out in the open or choosing to stay in a Lakes hotel or beach cottage. Soon after the Kendal-Windermere Railroad was built and many began to purchase their summer property and homes in the region. Windermere is located within Cumbria county and is part of the Lake District National Parks.

The name stems from Norse languages and means lake, so the common mistake is to call the site, “Lake Windermere”, when in fact it is just simply, Windermere. There are eighteen islands sitting in the lake, the largest of them, which is owned by a private party, is Belle Isle. This island is just about one kilometer in length and sits across from Bowness. All of the other sixteen islands are much smaller in size. On Bowness island one will find the Steam Boat Museum.

Here they house a collection of historically significant and vintage boats that are more than one hundred years old. The original intention for the museum was to construct a facility wherein the steamboats could be preserved. Another of the museums sections includes a history of race boats. Many visitors take cruises out onto the lake, most of which depart from Bowness. This is an incredible way to see the lake and the landscapes along the banks.

Most of the cruise ships date back to the late 1930′s and most carry more than five hundred people in one trip. Another exciting aspect of taking a cruise is the opportunity to to catch a glimpse of the ‘Lake Monster’. As with many lakes throughout the United Kingdom there are myths and legends of giant creatures living just under the surface of the water, as in Nessie of Loch Ness. And Windermere is no different. Many have claimed to see, more than one, half fish-half creatures here. These stories go back to the 1950′s, and in 2006 a photographer claimed to have captured shots of the eel like creature.

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