Lakeside Windermere cottage: the pier, cruises and aquarium
Lakeside is a small hamlet close to the southern tip of Windermere, where the cruises, steam railway and aquarium all meet at the pier. Pinewood Cottage is a short walk along the West Windermere Way.
Walking to the pier
Lakeside pier is about 0.6 miles (1 km), a 12 to 15 minute walk from the cottage, and it is where Windermere Lake Cruises start. The yellow route runs north toward Bowness and takes about forty minutes one way.
Short-stay parking is available at Lakeside for a fee, but it's a short, pleasant walk from the cottage.
There is a café on the pier with a wonderful view across Lake Windermere. The Lakeside Hotel serves refreshments, has a walkers' bar and a beer garden.
How Lakeside came to be
Lakeside owes its existence to the railway. When the Furness Railway's Lakeside branch arrived in 1869, the pier was established as a steamer terminus, so that passengers no longer had to go on to Newby Bridge by the River Leven. A hotel was built to look after the tourists arriving by train and by boat, and that is the Lakeside Hotel you see today.
The steamers still call at Lakeside, and the railway still runs a few miles inland as a heritage line, so you can arrive in the same way Victorian visitors did. Our railway guide has the full story of the line.
Cruises, steam railway and aquarium
Combined boat and train tickets link the pier with the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. Our railway guide has the timings.
The Lakes Aquarium at Lakeside is a family favourite and a must visit for young ones.
Stott Park Bobbin Mill is back toward the cottage, where English Heritage tours take you back in time.
Walks from the lane
High Dam and Great Knott Wood are two Greenwood Trail walks you can easily reach on foot. Other marked walks in the area may require a short car journey. Take a look at our things to do.
Great Knott Wood has entrances right at Lakeside, so you can combine a morning walk with a coffee at the pier afterwards.
Bowness, Ambleside and Windermere town
Windermere town, with its railway station and shops, is on the east shore of the lake. It is roughly 25 minutes away by road. Bowness is about a 35 minute drive.
Our complimentary guest passes for the Swan Hotel health club (about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away at Newby Bridge) are ideal for a rainy day. The spa page explains how the passes work.