Windermere

YHA Windermere is well situated for a wealth of local activities and places to visit. Ask for a copy of our ‘Car Free Days’ and leave the car behind!

Activities

Walking - Enjoy beautiful walks in the area (ask for a walking route or hire a map at Reception). The walk to Ambleside has lovely views all the way and can be combined with a cruise on the lake. More challenging days out are available on the high fells to the east and north of Troutbeck.
Biking - There are numerous off road trails around Troutbeck for serious mountain bikers. Mountain bikes can be hired from Country Lanes, Windermere, tel 015394 44544, and in Grizedale Forest, 11ml, where there are way-marked bike trails through the forest.
Swimming (1 mile) - There is a 25-meter indoor swimming pool at Troutbeck Bridge, Tel. 015394 43243.
Watersports (2.5 miles) – ‘Lakes Leisure’ offers instruction in dinghy sailing, windsurfing, raft-building, kayaking and canoeing.  www.lakesleisure.org.uk  Tel. 015394 47183. 
YHA Windermere offers Watersports packages for groups.
Outdoor Activities - Local instructors are available in a variety of outdoor activities, including rock-climbing, abseiling, ghyll-scrambling, kayaking, fell-walking and winter mountaineering. The YHA offers Outdoor Activity packages for groups of 6 or more, or try:
R&L Adventures, tel. (01229) 715261
Summitreks, tel. (015394) 41212
There is also an indoor climbing wall at Kendal (10 miles), Tel. 01539 721766.
Pony Trekking (2 miles) - Available in the Troutbeck valley at the Lakeland Pony Trekking Centre, check opening for 2008. Tel 015394 31999
Go Ape (Grizedale Forest, 11 miles) - Not for the faint hearted! A daring aerial assault course with rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip wires high above the forest floor. Age and height restrictions apply.  www.goape.cc  Tel. 0870 444 5562
Lake Cruises on Windermere - cruises are available all year round from Bowness-on-Windermere, 3 miles. There are circular cruises around the islands or hop on and off between Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside, at the southern end of the lake. In the summer, smaller launches operate to the National Park Visitor Centre and across to the quieter western shore of the lake.
www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk  Tel 015394 43360

Minibus Tours

Local companies offer a range of full and half day guided minibus tours around the Lake District and will pick up/drop off at the YHA.  www.mountain-goat.com   Tel. 015394 45161

The YHA shuttle bus connects eight YHA locations in the Lake District. Click here for more information and an up-to-date timetable

Places to Visit

Troutbeck Village - Just a short walk from the YHA, this picturesque village is renowned for its 17th century farmhouses and bank barns (map available at Reception). There is a Statesman's house at Town End, owned by the National Trust and open to the public in summer - Tel. 015394 32638. The Troutbeck Valley is a designated Conservation Area.
Lake District National Park Visitor Centre (1.7 miles) - Popular with families, the centre has interactive exhibitions and large grounds with lakeshore access, self-guided trails, café, shop and an impressive adventure playground. A 4 mile circular walking route linking the YHA to the Visitor Centre is available from Reception. www.lake-district.gov.uk   Tel. 015394 46601
Bowness-on-Windermere (3 miles) - the main centre for the lake with lake cruises (these link with the Aquarium and Steam Railway at the southern end of the lake), car ferry to the western shore, lakeshore walk around Cockshott Point, tennis, mini-golf, attractive shops, cinema and other local attractions. There is a childrens indoor soft play centre near the lakeshore.
Windermere Steamboat Museum (2.5 miles) - Closed for renovation in 2008
A large collection of Edwardian steam launches and vintage boats beautifully restored on the shores of the lake. www.steamboat.co.uk  Tel. 015394 45565
The World of Beatrix Potter (3 miles) - Exhibition exploring the life and works of the famous children’s author. Learn about Beatrix Potter's life as a hill farmer and conservationist and meet all her favourite characters on a trip down the garden path. Open all year round. www.hop-skip-jump.com  Tel. 015394 88444.
Blackwell Arts and Craft House (4.5 miles) - In a beautiful setting overlooking the lake, Blackwell is one of England’s most important Arts and Craft houses, richly decorated and recently restored with original furniture. Includes work by William Morris. Open for most of the year.  www.blackwell.org.uk  Tel. 015394 46139
Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's House (5 miles, by ferry) - The traditional 17th century farmhouse and cottage garden where Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated many of her children’s stories. www.nationaltrust.org.uk  Tel. 015394 36269
Aquarium of the Lakes (11 miles) - Reached by a lake cruise to the southern end of the lake, this attraction offers a unique insight into the aquatic life of the Lake District, following the course of a river from mountain to sea.  Displays include otters, sharks and rays, waterfalls, an underwater tunnel and resident diving ducks!  Open all year.  www.aquariumofthelakes.co.uk  Tel. 015395 30153
Dove Cottage & Wordsworth Museum, Grasmere (8 miles) - Tour the cottage where William Wordsworth wrote his best-loved poetry and view original manuscripts, portraits and possessions in the Wordsworth Museum. www.wordsworth.org.uk  Tel 015394 35544
Grizedale Forest Park (11 miles) - The centre has way-marked walking routes, Sculpture Trails, mountain bike hire, playground and exhibition. www.grizedale.org   Tel. (01229) 860373
Cinemas - There are 2 cinemas nearby: 
Royalty Cinema, Bowness, 3 miles.  Tel. 015394 43364
Zefferellis Cinema, Ambleside, 3 miles.  Tel. 015394 33845
 
Tourist Information Centre, Windermere.
There are many more places to visit in the area. If you need further information, Windermere Tourist Information Centre is very helpful and open all year round. Tel. (015394) 46499.