Windermere on Two Wheels

Glistening Lake Windermere stretches north to south for over 10 miles and your leisurely cycle routes are focused in the very heart of this stunning region, within the Lake District National Park. Based in one lovely and very welcoming guest house, this tour offers scenic ferry rides over the lake and stream trains to many of the region’s highlights. With its lake-jewelled valleys, dramatic mountains and peaceful lakeshores, the Lake District was the inspiration for poets, artists and writers such as Wordsworth, Constable and Beatrix Potter. It is also home to England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike; its deepest lake, Wastwater and its largest lake, Windermere. Your first ride takes you from the town of Windermere (your base for the next 5 nights) down quiet back lanes through tiny hamlets and past a nature reserve. After a scenic sail on a lake ferry, arrive in the village of Ambleside and begin a ride through the Vale of Rydal, a place that Wordsworth described as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”. Beatrix Potter lived in the village of Near Sawrey and one of the cycles takes you through here, providing the chance to visit Hill Top, her home. Also on this route is picturesque Hawkshead which has delightful architecture and a gallery where you can see some of Beatrix Potter’s paintings. The final day of cycling takes you on a ferry to Newby Bridge, the southern most point of Lake Windermere and to Cartmel, where you will find an ancient priory. Pilgrimages have taken place here for over 800 years! Also en route is Holker Hall and Gardens, the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish and well worth a visit. A stream train takes you back to the pier at Lakeside from Haverthwaite.