Bowness and Windermere, Lake District in England

England's, Lake District, is justifiably. Famous for. The beauties of the natural landscape those. Green rolling hills the, forests. And of course the many lakes but. There is another kind of wonderful, attraction, here that can be just as rewarding in, its own right but, charming towns and, villages of, the region you will, find a lot of fun things to keep you busy with their many shops, restaurants. Pubs. Pedestrian. Areas lakefront, settings, in many cases, with, excellent, hotel, and, bed-and-breakfast. Accommodation. We're. Showing you two of the most popular, towns in this short movie focusing. Primarily on bonus, and the nearby village. Of Windermere, just, a mile away then. Later, in the film will take you hiking along the shores of Lake Windermere, and up in the hills and then we'll have a ride on a miniature, railroad. No. Question, that bonus, is the, number, one town of the Lake District, properly, called bonus, on Windermere, it, has, the most hotels. Restaurants. And shops, and visitors, so this is number one and it's right along the lakeshore it's, a beautiful town as we are going to show you in some, detail coming. Up right now and, Bowness. Is right next to Windermere, another, town, really the same municipality. Coming up next in the program, that. Gives you even more reason to stay in this area twice. As many shops when you combine the two bonus. On Windermere, is packed, with friendly, pugs and excellent. Restaurants, you, could, stay at least three nights here and you will find great places to eat and drink every. Day for lunch and dinner such. As Hilton's. One of the favorites the. Later we'll show you more of the very best, places, to eat and drink in town while. Bonus, is pedestrian. Friendly with, wide sidewalks. And, wonderful. Shop, fronts to look at there, is just one particular street, that's a pedestrian, only lane it's, a street, lined. With restaurants. I had. A delightful, meal at Porto, on. Little table upstairs on a balcony that was wonderful, I could see down into the street but nobody could see me. You're. Probably, busy, during, the day outside. Of town, touring the Lake District, beautiful, scenery and then, you come back in the afternoon maybe. Some shopping, and in, the evening, the town comes, alive with the restaurants, and pubs, especially. Lovely on a damp, evening when, there's a little bit of rain you've, got reflections, on the street, wonderful, lighting well show you a lot more of the night scene and bonus later on in the movie here's the same location. During the daytime and here's. The same location, shown on the map it's very much in the center of town the. Juncture, of Ash, Street Royal, Square and kendal Road you'll. Pass through here, often during your time and bonus and during. This movie you'll see quite a bit of it from different angles as, we. Walk a few, blocks north of here along a street called Craig brow you'll, find the main shopping, centre of Bowness, with, a nice variety of merchandise especially. Geared for the tourists and, this goes for several hundred meters along. With the shops you'll find some restaurants. And cafes, some, bars and, always. People watching towards. The upper end of town there's a little shopping mall but for the most part these, are stores. In the old-fashioned, way along the village street and while, some major chains. Are, represented, many of these shops are individual. And unique - bonus. While. Town gets quite busy during the day you can find some peace, and quiet ood. If you get up early and take a stroll perhaps, even before breakfast before the shops open you. Can almost have the whole town to yourself, and there, will be hardly any cars, driving by probably. No tour buses at this time of the day so if, you're an early bird and wake, up head, out before breakfast and take a stroll. Summer. Season, is obviously, the most crowded and yet brings with it the best weather with, least possibility.

For Rain so, take, your chances, but we suggest the shoulder season, like, the visit show here which was during May the weather is quite good at that time with mild temperatures, usually in, the 60s, and low 70s during. The day a perfect. Time to be at the lakes we. Never felt inconvenienced. By any crowds and the, nice thing about the people around you is they're all on vacation to, having a good time so they're generally at a good mood after. All facilities like, hotels, and restaurants are, able, to handle the big crowds of summer so, if you're here in May or September. With, proper, reservations, at a decent hotel you, will have no problems. Winter. Is not such a good time to be here it's cold, and grey and, wet and, many of the hotels closed, down for winter season, so, you probably, want to avoid winter. Time of course. The summer is when everybody else wants to be here too but we, found that May is ideal, the. Shops keep going along the upper stretches, of the Main Street which, is now called Lake Road and. You'll notice again that most of these shops are for the tourists, which can, be a little problem, for local residents, who, have seen their supply, of useful, stores disappearing. Over time. And. Yet there are still many historic. Buildings in town the, oldest, of them is st., Martin's, Church dating. Back to the late 15th, century, if. You, take this left behind, the church and walk along Rehberg, Road for, about half, a mile you will, come to a beautiful, shoreline. Open. To the public where you can have a stroll along the shores of Lake Windermere, in, a rustic, natural setting, later in this movie we'll take, you on an extended, walk along the shore so, stick around we'll. Also take you for a walk in the hills above the, west shore of Lake Windermere. The. Complete, name of the town is bonus, on Windermere. Because, it's right on the water which. Is a little bit unusual for, major. Lake District towns they. Are usually somewhat, distant, from any lakeshore, bonus. On Windermere. Really does embrace, the lake. There are some bars and, walkways. Along the waterfront, the, little beach in town always has a lot of geese, and, ducks and swans looking. For food you. Can pick from a variety of kinds, of excursion, boats on lake windermere, you, can have a one-hour cruise, or go. For an all-day expedition. There's, a promenade, that goes along the lakeshore passing. A marina there's, some outdoor bars with a view and there's a large park that includes, a small golf course the. Waterfront, is just the right size big, enough that, you can walk around and explore it but not too big that you'll get lost or exhausted, and you can easily get back into town and we, can say the same thing about the size of town, itself, it's, just right plenty, of shop and yet you, will not get lost here it's easy to get around the.

World Of Beatrix, Potter author of Peter Rabbit is a very. Popular attraction. Right in town with many displays, illustrating. Her rich life, hungry. Or, thirsty you'll. Find a lot of satisfaction in. The many pubs, and restaurants of, town try. The old John, Peel in its just a couple blocks outside the center are easy to get there so, it can be a bit less crowded, and some, say the prices, are better as usual. Dogs are welcome. There's. One, particular. Pub right at the central, crossroads, of town that seems, to be the most popular, place, to go the, Albert, step, inside and you are among the locals it's a great place for a conversation for. A pint and for, a complete meal they. Also rent rooms so you could spend the night it's, part of the Robinsons. Group of pubs, one of the major, breweries. In the northwest, of England you'll, feel like a guest in a large house with a family-friendly. Atmosphere, relaxing. In the comfortable, furniture we've. Also got an outdoor terrace. The. Number, one restaurant in town currently, on TripAdvisor, is, Jackson's. And, I can vouch for that I had a wonderful meal here the only problem, is they are too, popular, so, you have, to either make a reservation, or, get, here at an off our most. Customers, love it but not everybody of course it, just depends. On your personal. Experience, and you, know in the world of restaurants, they can have a good night, a bad night ownership, or management can. Change they might get a different cook so good, luck try, jackson's and see, how you like it there. Are enough good restaurants, in town closely, spaced together that you can simply walk around and see what looks good step inside check, the menu see, how happy the customers, are then, go for it, if. You're out at Twilight, after, a gentle. Rain that has stopped by all means take a walk around and enjoy the, lighting effect of the sparkles, in the sidewalk, and the cobblestones, and, the ambient lighting in the sky a magical. Time to be outdoors. The. Town of Bowness is a great base of operations, for heading out to see the other lakes in the district, with its many hotels, shops, and restaurants to take care of you but. It's really two, towns joined, together as, one there's bonus, and then you've got Windermere, which is about a mile, inland. From bonus we're gonna take you there now, it. Can get a little foggy up here in Windermere, town because, we're at an elevation of about 700. Feet especially when you have a moist, morning, as we're, looking at now mountain. Goat has been our main tour provider here, and our visit to the Lake District and their headquarters, are right here. By the information, office, I've. Come, up to Windermere, from, bonus Buy taxi, in the morning just before breakfast.

Actually It, would be an uphill walk, so, it's just easier to take a taxi, if you want to come up if you're staying in Bowness and then, as we'll do you can walk back down to Bowness when you're done with the visit or perhaps. You'd like to stay in Windermere, and use this as your home base for visiting, the lake district there are a lot, of good accommodations. Especially, the bed and breakfasts and you'll. See lots of shops and restaurants, the. Town centre is fairly. Small but with enough variety and interesting, streets that we'll keep you busy, most. Of the buildings, here are constructed. In that traditional, stone, and, slate, architecture. Which, is using, the abundant, raw materials, that are found throughout the neighboring, countryside, the town, is much younger than similar, places, in the lakes such as bonus, or Ambleside, or Kazakh because. It really was not founded, until after. 1847. When, the train arrived and with, the inauguration, of railroad, service the, town quickly, formed, and became, a tourist, center and yet. Not as big as bonus, so it still has a small-town. Feeling. With. A more, authentic, local, culture, for. Example various. Shops that cater to local. Residents, rather than only tourists. But. It obviously relies, on tourism, for, the vast majority of, the economy there. Is some farming, in the surrounding, areas and there used to be light, manufacturing and. Mining but, that's pretty much gone now you, can, see as I walk around town, doing a little window shopping for, you there are some boutiques. And bookstores, and art galleries. Handicrafts. The usual, knickknacks, for tourists, along, with some hardware, shop supermarkets. Barbers, churches. Something. For everybody. Another. Reason for staying, in Wyndemere, is your home base is that the train station, is right here originally. The train was going to be built all the way down to bonus, and the lakeshore but, it, was stopped back, in the mid 19th century by.

Environmentalists. Who didn't want to see that lakefront. Disrupted, by a railroad so. If you're arriving, by train you can walk to one of your hotels if you're staying in Windermere or, if you're arriving by car there's plenty of parking available, and then, you have that flexibility. Of driving, throughout, the Lake District for your touring, there. Are about 300. Bed and breakfasts, and holiday cottages, available, right here around Windermere, so, that really makes it a pleasant, place to stay, it feels a little bit more like home rather, staying, in a hotel, there's. A flashback. To my visit in 1992. Staying, at the Holly Lodge and yes, they're still in business located. On College, Street blocked. From the town center, another. Great neighborhood, for B and B's is Oak Street also within, a few blocks of, the center it's. Really quite wonderful how, little, the, town center of Wyndemere has changed, over the last 25, years they've, managed to preserve. The authentic. Historic, feeling of the place while. Expanding. The variety, and quality. Of retail, while. They don't, have any pedestrian. Only streets, it's a very walkable town, there's, not much traffic and, the sidewalks, are wide well, especially in the morning it's nice and quiet and peaceful, Lake. Road connects, the village centers, of Windermere, and bonus and it has got a lot of small hotels, and, lovely bed and breakfasts along the way it only takes 15, or 20 minutes to walk from Windermere, especially, because you're going downhill to. Bonus, which, makes it so easy for you to have a good look at Wyndemere, even if you are staying in bonus as most, visitors do or, perhaps, these little, idyllic. Hotels, along Lake Road will tempt you their quiet, charming. And, affordable. Another. Good thing about staying, along this stretch of road is that there is a nice trail, that will lead you down to the lakeshore giving. You convenient, access to one of the prettiest. Little parks, along Lake Windermere we're, going there now but first a peek in the backyard, of the Glen Cree hotel, for, another bit of beautiful nature a bubbling. Brook that flows, down to the lake. A view. Of the old Wyndemere, hotel opened, in 1847. And some. Views of the beautiful landscape, from the upper slopes of Windermere looking, down towards, the lake.

It's. About a 20-minute walk from Lake Road to get down to the shores and, there, you are going to find the miller ground it's one of the public. Designated. Walking. Trails along, the lakeshore one. Of the only places in the entire 24. Miles, shores, of, Lake Windermere that you can actually walk, along the water's edge but, for being right next to the water this. Is the place and coming. Up in a few minutes we'll show you the western. Shore of Lake Windermere after, we take the ferry across and there - you can walk right along, the water's edge. Several. Of the smaller lakes do have waterfront, trails that go around them such as butter Muir, grasmere, and brothers. Water but, Windermere, being the largest of all the lakes is a little bit different with a lot of private property along. The lakeshore there. Is a big network, of trails here for example over on the west side of Lake, Windermere and we're going to take you there shortly where, you can roam, at will through, the countryside there, are dozens of websites and, books loaded, with information about, the various trails of the region and one, of the best websites is the official, Lake District, gov. Dot uk' the, site of the National Trust that operates. And manages the park there you'll find maps, and descriptions of, all kinds, from, milligram. We're heading back to bone, s just a mile south and have another look around and, then in a few minutes we're going to take you hiking, in the, hills on the west side of Lake Windermere, for. Now a, nostalgic. Look at bonus, town as it was twenty-five, years ago with, some video that I shot on one of my early visits there it's, interesting to see how little, the town has, changed it, still has that historic, character. This. Is Dennis Kalin taking, you to the Lake District of Great Britain. We're visiting, the village of Bowness which is on Lake Windermere it's the tourist. Center for this area there's. A wide variety of things you can do when you're visiting, the lakes you can go hiking you. Can go out on the lake on a boat. You. Can play golf there's. Different, kinds of restaurants there's, Indian, there is Italian, there's British and Chinese and, there's, lots of shops in the village of Bowness it's a very quaint and picturesque spot. And, it's a good base for visiting the Lake District there's a lot of other villages nearby. You. Can drive, or, you can take. One of the many, optional, tours that are offered when, you're staying here in bonus this is one of the true beauty spots of England where we're doing some hiking we're staying at a wonderful, hotel, and, there's a whole variety of hotels, ranging from, the, super deluxe to. The very friendly. Bed-and-breakfast. Now. We're taking you to the ferry and across to the west side, of Lake, Windermere, walking. South, from, bonus town along the lakeshore is, quite lovely, you'll be surprised, at how rural, it is all of a sudden you're away from the town and into, the countryside heading. For the ferry this. Ferry is so wonderful. It's easy quick. And cheap, for a pedestrian it's. About 1 pound if you have a bicycle or a moped, maybe a couple of pounds that is a cheap, deal to get you right across the lake and these, ferries come about every 20, minutes and, the trip across is only 15, minutes and it's. A very scenic, and comfortable, ride if. You're, driving, a car it's, also a bargain, and it's a lot quicker than driving, all the way around, the, south end of the lake and, back up again. When, you arrive on the other side a number of possibilities, are, there you can take, a walk along.

The Shoreline, or go hiking up in the hills as we're going to take you or, maybe you just take a bicycle, ride it's, possible, to rent a bicycle on this side or, you can rent one in bonus and bring it over with you you. Can get electric, bicycles, that makes it a little bit easier but, we suggest, you take a hike can come along with us up into the hills. It's. Nice to have this direct access to the shore, on the west side of Windermere. Near, the ferry station because, otherwise, you, don't get to see that much of the, direct, Lake Shore if you try and walk around the entire lake there, is a trail that does go around the, lake but much of it is inland, and up on the hill which is quite nice you get some views looking, down across, the landscape and at the lake while, the actual circumference, of the lake is about 24, miles the, trail itself, is 45. Miles with twists, and turns and ups and downs so. It would take you about four days you, could walk it'd be, a lovely hike but. You'll find it much easier to, do a shorter, hike like the one that we're on now spending. A few hours on, a leisurely, ramble. Through some, beautiful countryside we're. Going uphill to, what's, called far sori and just, following some trails, a, little, bit lost random, going here and there there'll be some signposts, we can have a look at through. Some gates getting. A fair, idea of, where we are but not worry too much about exactly, which, way to go, because. There's, trails that wind, around up here and you're not going to get too lost you'll always be able to walk. Back downhill and, get, back to the lake getting back to your ferry ride over, to bonus, this. Trail would lead to Hawks, head if we walked, the whole distance, but that's about three miles further and we're not going to go that far it, would be nice because that trail goes along, a little lake called s the wate water very, lovely, to see but, we'll save that for another day or, leave it to you to get there and, let us know how it was. You. Are guaranteed, to see a lot of sheep as you walk around in these hills they've been a major part. Of the agriculture. Of this area, for many centuries, it. Used to be that their wool was very important, in England was a major producer, of wool even, before, the Industrial, Age and it would be shipped off to mainland. Europe for, processing. And weaving. And dyeing and, this, was a major, generator. Of income but, now the sheep are raised for, the meat rather than the wool it's. Just not, economical. Any longer, to harvest, the wool and, there's. Some environmental, controversy.

Over, Continuing. The sheep farming, there are several hundred, sheep farmers, in the Lake District. But, ecologists. Say the Sheep are not good for the hillsides even though they seem to be like, natural. Lawnmowers keeping, everything trimmed, but, they do have, an impact on, the environment, freaking, up the soil and causing. Erosion, some, environmental, activists, would like to see the native forestry planted and nourished. In this area instead, but no doubt the sheep Meadows will be here for a long time and are, an important, part of this picturesque. Landscape. By. Now you've noticed I'm, using three screens to present, this part of the movie and there's, a couple reasons for that for. One it's a way of including, more visual information in. The, limited, time that we have here to view the movie so. It's like you're walking you're looking to the left looking to the right in front. And behind you're. Seeing a lot of different sights pretty, much at the same time when, you're there in person so. I'm replicating. That experience. Here, with my three screens and. Another reason is you may have noticed it's older video and it, just looks better when, it's in smaller, screens, like this. St.. Peter's Church was, completed, in 1869. And, built, of local, stone, in the early English style. That's. About as far as we're going in the walk and there's a sign that's pointing, to fairy Hill that must be leading us back to the ferry so that's where we're going through. The gate across, a field along, a few more trails and heading downhill. We. Are done, with the height but we do have one more interesting. Attraction. To show you we're gonna take you on a train, ride on a miniature, train powered. By steam. It's, the Raven glass and, s bale steam, railway, the. First, train created, here was a larger, gauge and opened. In. 1875. And, it was for transporting. Iron ore that was being mined in the hills above the village of bhoot down, to even glass that. Continued. Until. 1913. When they ran out of iron ore and the railways shut down a few years later it was rebuilt as a miniature, railway which. Was put back to work in the 1920s. When, quarrying. Recommence. This time it was for granite crushed. For use mainly as road stone and railway ballast that, mining stopped in the 1950s. And afterwards. The rail line was shut down for, a while but then it. Was rescued, by a Preservation. Society they. Rebuilt it and by the late 1960s, it, reopened. For passenger. Service has, this wonderful visitor. Attraction. I'd. Like to share with you a visit to the Burnham, Garden, Hotel where, we've been staying on each of our previous, four, visits two bonus I like its high quality and affordable, pricing. A very comfortable. Spot and we had a chance to speak with the owner. I'm. Michael Robinson I'm there yet the proprietor, here been, here for 41. Years and we see it developed quite a lot since those. Early days. Burn. How garden house hotel and as you see behind you lilac. Then, we've got flavor the forest then, we've got azaleas, and rhododendrons, and, you've come at the finest, hour here because, there's so much to see and everything. Is in full bloom it's. Great, so. I hope you enjoy your stay so you've been with the hotel 41, years yeah yeah. Wow, yes. It started off with eight bedrooms and now we're 28 and describe. Your location, of the hotel, well we're three minutes. Walk, to the lake down, that way and, four. Minutes to the shops the other way so. You leave your car yeah I'm going to go anyway other than down, to the lake and get a boat a bus or.

You, Can get a bike mmm. I'm passing by can go wherever and of, course mountain goat, and. It's nice and quiet here at the hood no it's quite, yes we're just off from the center and yes. The oasis of peace and, tranquility, mmm. With, that we are truly finished be sure to look for our other movies about the Lake District, in our collection. Including. Our extended, drive and a minibus with mountain goat tours visiting. Most, of the major lakes of the park. You.

2018-07-04 06:45

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