Must See Sights and Landmarks in Ambleside Area

"White Cross Bay is less than 5 minutes by car to Brockhole, where you can catch a boat to the other side of Lake Windermere to visit Wray Castle. On the way out you have to go to Ambleside first, get off the boat for 20 mins, re-board, and then set off for Wray Castle but on the trip back you go straight across to Brockhole. The Woodland Nature Play Trail at Wray Castle is great."

"One of the best rainy day places to visit in Windermere for families, Wray Castle is a rambling mock-Gothic castle with masses of indoor and outdoor space. Things to do include dressing up, giant foam brick building & a Peter Rabbit experience. On the shore of the lake, it’s great for sunny days too ….more things to do here >>"

"Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, but the house has only recently opened to the public on a regular basis."

"Cockermouth was the birthplace of William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, whose childhood home was this 18th-century town house, carefully…"

"This old slate mine has been reinvented as a centre for all kinds of activities: you could venture underground into the bowels of the old 'Edge' and 'Kimberley' mines, tackle a via ferrata, or climb inside the mine along a system of fixed cables, tracing the route followed by the slate miners. A tour into the 'Cathedral' mine runs on Friday by request, but you'll need eight people and it costs £25 per person."

"A working mill built in 1835, Stott Park created the wooden bobbins vital to the spinning and weaving industries of Lancashire. Typical of mills across Cumbria, today you can see industry from a bygone age and watch as bobbins are made using the mill's original machinery. Although Stott Park worked continuously until 1971, it remains almost identical to its Victorian appearance of 100 years ago."

"The car park in Waterhead can be the starting point for a picturesque two-hour walk in the ancient woodland above Ambleside, cresting at Jenkin Crag, a great vantage point above Windermere. Nearly all of the path is in thick woodland, and there are steps to make the going lighter on wet days. One of the loveliest sections guides you along the Ambleside Champion Tree Trail, which has England’s tallest grand fir."

"Metres from Windermere’s northern shore is an archaeological site for the Roman fort of Galava, founded towards the end of the 1st century. This stronghold defended the intersection of three Roman roads, heading off to Ravenglass and Carlisle on Hadrian’s Wall to the north, and Papcastle to the west. The remains date from the 2nd or 3rd century, when it appears that the fort was demolished and reconstructed."

"Rope swings on the grounds, picnics in atmospheric old rooms, free tea and coffee, and huge blackboards you can write on: Allan Bank…"

"Sitting above Stock Beck next to Rydal Road, Bridge House may be the whole region’s most photographed landmark. Like all of Ambleside this adorable, narrow dwelling is constructed from local slate and has been owned by the National Trust for nearly a century after it was bought and donated by a group of local residents. The Bridge House dates from the 17th century, when it was used as an orchard storehouse, and has since been a mill counting house, chair-maker’s workshop, cobbler’s shop, tearoom and a family home packed with as many as eight people."

"The former regional agent for the National Trust, Cubby Acland, landscaped this picture perfect eight-acre garden by the lakefront on Waterhead’s south side. The lower part of the Jenkin Crag walk will lead you into this space. Half of the garden is cultivated, with magnolias, camellias, azaleas, embothriums, shrubs and rhododendrons, which do well in the Lake District’s acidic soils."

"You can see six waterfalls, a gorge and a glen all in one go on the Ingleton Waterfall Trail. It offers 4.3 miles of scenic hiking across the Yorkshire and Cumbria border. You’ll follow the River Twiss to Pecca Falls and Hollybush Spout before you reach Thornton Force, which thunders 46 feet into the river below."

"The Ingleton Waterfalls walk is a gorgeous, 4 ½ mile signposted hike encompassing six pretty waterfalls of varying sizes. The path is not challenging but there are a lot of steps so it is not a suitable route for pushchairs. Walking kids need to wear good gripping footwear for the occasional wet rock."

"The Lake District National Park is famous for being home to the Romantic poets, especially Wordsworth. It is said to have provided inspiration for a lot of his poetry – looking around, it’s easy to see why. The entire landscape is peppered with perfect cottages, fields full of daffodils, rolling mountains, and dazzling lakes. The panoramas in The Lake District National Park will leave you hankering for more."

"The Lakes District is all shimmering lakes and craggy hilltops which attract over 15 million people each year. The Yorkshire Dales on the other hand is about the snaking rivers running though valleys of rolling green hills. It’s the perfect place to spend a few days stretching the muscle’s on a long walk or two."

"If you need a picnic spot, or just somewhere to relax in front of Windermere, Borrans Park is a public green space at the lake’s northernmost tip just west of Waterhead. The park merges with the greenery around the Roman fort, and there are benches facing the water so you watch the steamers coming and going, and take in natural splendour the lakeshore. Behind you to the north and northeast are the brooding high fells of the Central Lakeland."

"Borrans Park has magnificent views of Windermere lake and is easily accessed from the A591. There are the remains of a Roman road leading to the ruin of a Roman fort with historical interpretation information in the adjacent field. The large grassed recreation area has picnic tables and ample seating."

"Farfield is a restored Victorian woollen mill in a quiet corner of Cumbria and in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Filled with artist studios, exhibitions, heritage displays, working looms, art and craft for sale by local artists, plus tea and cake at…"

"Nestling between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, a rescued Farfield Mill opened its doors in 2001 to an exciting new life providing access to high-quality art and crafts and heritage."